Ultrasonic Kidney Stone Treatment for Pet Cats and Marine Mammals

A research kidney stone treatment system that is now undergoing clinical trials in humans was modified to noninvasively fragment stones in pet cats. The design accounted for differences in anatomic scale, acoustic window, skin-to-stone depth, and stone size. Veterinarian collaborators at the University of Minnesota have treated ureteral stones successfully in three cats.

The human system has also been used to treat a dolphin with a ureteral stone blockage and a harbor seal to reduce the stone burden in his kidneys.