Ultrasound treatment may help prevent kidney damage after surgery

BBC : Researchers have found that ultrasound may prevent acute kidney injury, which can occur when the blood supply to the kidneys gets disrupted because of infection or during surgery. Using mice as test subjects, Mark Okusa of the University of Virginia and colleagues exposed some of the animals to ultrasound with a routine clinical imaging system. They then disrupted the blood supply to the kidneys of both the test subjects and a control group that did not receive ultrasound treatment. After blood flow was restored, the mice that had received ultrasound still appeared to have healthy kidneys, while the control group showed signs of significant kidney injury. The researchers believe that ultrasound stimulates an anti-inflammatory response from the spleen, which protects the kidneys. They propose that ultrasound therapy could also prevent damage to other organs, such as the lungs, heart, and liver.