Grant: Project Grant

Kidney stones can cause excruciating pain, described by many as comparable to the pain of natural childbirth. Additionally, kidney stones may lead to many other health issues, such as severe infection or kidney failure, necessitating hospital stays or surgical treatment. Approximately 1 in 10 adults will have a kidney stone "attack" in their lifetime, and this rate has been steadily increasing over the past 20 years. Endoscopic (camera-guided) laser surgery is one of the most common procedures used to remove kidney stones. During this surgery, stones are fragmented using laser technology, and subsequently removed using techniques such as basket extraction. While larger stone fragments can be effectively removed this way, the laser also produces a significant quantity of smaller stone fragments and dust, which are very difficult to remove with current techniques. These fragments are commonly left behind in the kidney after surgery. Over time, the residual stones become seeds for recurrent stone formation and growth, leading to complications like recurrent episodes of pain, infections, and even repeat surgery. Indeed, recent data have shown that over 50% of patients have residual fragments after laser surgery, and over 20% of these patients will have a related complication within 2 years. Our team is developing a novel kidney stone "vacuum" that will revolutionize kidney stone care, by completely clearing residual fragments and dust during laser surgery. Our device uses suction to remove residual fragments, while simultaneously washing out the kidney to ensure complete stone clearance. We anticipate that our device will decrease kidney stone recurrence, reduce visits to the emergency room, and result in fewer operations for patients with kidney stone disease.