New Sound Treatment Breaks Kidney Stones Without Surgery

One in 10 people will experience kidney stones, and now there's finally a better way to treat them without surgery or sedation.

Virginia Tech researchers have developed burst wave lithotripsy, a new treatment that just received FDA approval. It uses gentle sound waves to break kidney stones into tiny, passable fragments that patients can eliminate naturally.

Traditional kidney stone treatment hasn't changed much since the 1980s. Current shock wave lithotripsy only works 60 to 70 percent of the time and often damages surrounding kidney tissue because the shock waves are so powerful and imprecise.

"Shock waves are powerful, but they're blunt," explained Adam Maxwell, research associate professor at Virginia Tech who developed the technology. "They don't just break the stone, they also create collateral damage in the kidney."

The new approach is completely different. Burst wave lithotripsy uses lower-amplitude, oscillating ultrasound bursts to gradually break stones into uniform tiny particles. Maxwell and his team can control the ultrasound frequency to adjust fragment size while reducing pain and protecting healthy kidney tissue.

California-based medical technology company SonoMotion, which Maxwell cofounded in 2014, developed two devices using this technology. Break Wave fragments kidney stones, while Stone Clear helps remove any remaining pieces after treatment.

Early clinical studies show the procedure is largely painless. That means no anesthesia needed, unlike current treatments that require sedation while instruments are inserted into the urinary tract.

The devices are compact and portable, resembling standard ultrasound probes. Doctors can see and target kidney stones in real time during treatment, leading to higher success rates.

Why This Inspires

This breakthrough represents the first fundamental change in kidney stone treatment in over 40 years. More than 500,000 Americans seek emergency care for kidney stones each year, often enduring excruciating pain while waiting for treatment.

Now patients could receive care as soon as stones are diagnosed, right in their doctor's office. No hospital stay, no operating room, no recovery time from anesthesia.

"Our vision is a first-line therapy that can be done in a clinic or office setting as soon as a stone is diagnosed," Maxwell said.

The technology emerged from collaboration among researchers at seven institutions, including the University of Washington, University of Oxford, and California Institute of Technology.

This changes everything about the patient experience for a condition that affects millions.