Photo Credit: Gri-spb
For patients with residual kidney stone fragments, the risk for relapse is lower with ultrasonic propulsion-facilitated clearance of fragments, according to a study published in The Journal of Urology. Matthew Sorensen, MD, and colleagues examined whether ultrasonic propulsion to facilitate kidney stone fragment clearance reduces relapse. The primary outcome was relapse by 5 years or study end (median follow-up, 3.0 years). The 40 patients in the treatment group had a significantly longer time to relapse than the 42 in the control group. Restricted mean time to relapse was 52% longer in the treatment versus control group (1,530±92 vs 1,009±118 days), and the risk for relapse was lower, with eight versus 21 patients, experiencing relapse (HR, 0.30). Overall, 63% of patients in the treatment group and 5% in the control group passed fragments within 3 weeks of treatment. AEs were mild, transient, and self-resolving and occurred in 63% of patients in the treatment group and 40% in the control group.
