SSU researchers have developed a method treatment of pyelonephritis in children
A 3-year postgraduate student of the Institute of Physics of the Saratov National Research State University named after N.G. Chernyshevsky has developed a technique and device for noninvasive restoration of ureteral urodynamics for patients with pyelonephritis.
Oksana Kutikova, together with a scientific group of the Institute of Physics, found that one of the causes of pyelonephritis is a violation of pacemaker activity, and set a goal to find a way to restore the contractile ability of the ureters.
"On reflection, we came to the conclusion that it is necessary to ensure that the ureter begins to contract in the right rhythm. And to do this, you need to determine the ureter's own wave so that the wave applied to it works synchronously with the ureter's own wave," Oksana explained.
With the help of a generator and a block that form the basis of the device, an electrical signal is generated with a frequency of 5-32 kilohertz, an amplitude of no more than 3 volts and a current strength of no more than 20 milliamps. The signal is supplied by pulses of 0.1-0.2 milliseconds, which are combined into a bundle of electrical signals, whose duration ranges from 0.5 to 1 second. The interval between pulses in a packet is equal to 0.01-0.8 seconds.
A batch of pulses is sequentially applied to each paravertebral electrodes with an interval of 5 seconds: first to the upper paravertebral electrodes, then to the middle and lower ones. To achieve the task – the excitation of electrical vibrations in the patient's body and stimulation of the ureter from the kidney to the bladder, pulses are delivered for 5-10 minutes once a day for 5 to 20 days.
The device and method were tested on a group of volunteers with simultaneous examination of ureteral activity using ultrasound. According to the results of the course of electrostimulation, the rate of ureteral discharge increased by 15-20%.
Having studied the literature and statistical data, as well as modern developments aimed at the treatment of pyelonephritis, Oksana Kutikova, together with a scientific group, came to the conclusion that the percentage of children with this disease of the genitourinary system annually occupies one of the leading positions. Currently, the treatment of pyelonephritis cannot be called absolutely painless and comfortable, the proposed solution for the project will make the treatment procedure painless, the form factor of the device can be in the form of a prefix to a smartphone, and the treatment can be performed in domestic conditions.
The project was created in cooperation with the Department of Faculty Pediatrics of the V.I. Razumovsky SSMU. According to the scientific supervisor, associate professor of the Department of Medical Physics Andrey Rytik, they are ready to give the device to the University Clinical Hospital No. 1 named after S.R. Peacemakers for free use, but they also plan to introduce the invention into the register of physiotherapeutic agents.
Aelita Ponomaryova
