Nanofluid-Enhanced Laser Lithotripsy Using Conducting Polymer Nanoparticles.
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2025-12
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Abstract
Urinary stone disease, characterized by the hard mineral deposits in the urinary tract, has seen a rising prevalence globally. This condition often leads to severe pain and requires medical intervention. Laser lithotripsy, a minimally invasive treatment, uses laser to fragment urinary stones to facilitate removal or natural passage. Among available laser technologies, Ho:YAG laser has established itself as the gold standard for three decades. Efforts to improve ablation efficiency have focused on laser parameters such as pulse energy and frequency. This study introduces an ablation enhancement strategy that incorporates nanoparticles with strong near-infrared absorption into the surrounding fluid to enhance light-matter interaction. Using 0.03 wt.% PEDOT:PSS nanofluid improves stone ablation efficiency by 38-727% in spot treatment and 26-75% in scanning treatment with a clinical Ho:YAG laser lithotripter. The highly absorbing nanofluid accelerates vapor tunnel formation, boosts laser energy transmission, and permeates stone pores to enhance damage, without increasing thermal tissue injury. Cytotoxicity tests also confirmed minimal toxicity at appropriate concentrations. This nanofluid-based approach offers a promising advancement for more efficient and safer laser lithotripsy. Further work should address the remaining challenges for clinical translation, including aggregation in saline, efficacy in real human kidney stones, and comprehensive animal studies.
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Fan, Qingsong, Junqin Chen, Arpit Mishra, Aaron Stewart, Faisal Anees, Ting-Hsuan Chen, Judith Dominguez, Christine Payne, et al. (2025). Nanofluid-Enhanced Laser Lithotripsy Using Conducting Polymer Nanoparticles. Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany), 12(48). p. e07714. 10.1002/advs.202507714 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/34179.
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Scholars@Duke
Junqin Chen
Arpit Mishra
Dr. Arpit Mishra is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Duke University, USA. His research focuses on laser lithotripsy for urolithiasis treatment, combining both experimental and simulation approaches to investigate laser interactions with fluids, bubbles, and solid surfaces. He earned his PhD and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, where his dissertation centred on the dynamics of interacting cavitation bubbles. His international research experience includes fellowships as an ETH4D Visiting Researcher at ETH Zurich and a Raman Charpak Fellow at CEA/UGA Grenoble. Dr. Mishra's expertise extends to cryogenic engineering, hydrodynamic cavitation, and laser thermal safety. He has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Milton Van Dyke Award from the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics, the T.H.K. Frederking Space Cryogenic Workshop Student Scholarship, and the ETH4D Visiting Student Grant. His work has been featured in the 1st Traveling Gallery of Fluid Motion by the Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences (CPNAS).
Michael Eric Lipkin
Pei Zhong
My research focuses on engineering and technology development with applications in the non-invasive or minimally invasive treatment of kidney stone disease via shock wave and laser lithotripsy, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and immunotherapy for cancer treatment, acoustic and optical cavitation, and ultrasound neuromodulation via sonogenetics.
We are taking an integrated and translational approach that combines fundamental research with engineering and applied technology development to devise novel and enabling ultrasonic, optical, and mechanical tools for a variety of clinical applications. We are interested in shock wave/laser-fluid-bubble-solid interaction, and resultant mechanical and thermal fields that lead to material damage and removal. We also investigate the stress response of biological cell and tissue induced by cavitation and ultrasound exposure, mediated through mechanosensitive ion channels, such as Piezo 1. Our research activities are primarily supported by NIH and through collaborations with the medical device industry.
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