Rollercoaster Rides for Renal Stones?

Gemisha Cheemungtoo 


Disneyworld. It is often referred to as the happiest place on Earth. According to a few American researchers, it could be of particular enjoyment for patients with kidney stones, too. 

 

For most people, renal calculi, also known colloquially as kidney stones, may not be an obvious condition. The majority of stones are too small to cause symptoms so if a diagnosis is made, it is likely to be an incidental finding on a CT scan. Although a common urological problem, only 1 in 11 people will experience symptoms associated with renal stones in their lifetimes, such as flank pain, nausea, vomiting or blood in the urine. These symptoms usually arise if a large enough stone causes a blockage within the urinary tract. 

 

The treatment for kidney stones depends on the severity of presentation. A small painless stone could pass out naturally with the urine, but larger stones might need to be split into smaller fragments first. Outside of the known and approved interventions for kidney stones, a few patients discovered that their own calculi passed out after going to Orlando's Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, and riding its Big Thunder Mountain Railroad rollercoaster. 

 

To test out these claims, two doctors created a functional silicone renal model to simulate a patient, and measured the passage of 3 calculi passed out from one patient who rode the rollercoaster 3 consecutive times. Their results showed that overall, more stones passed when sitting at the back of the carriage, demonstrated by a 63.9% passage rate compared to 16.9% for front section seats. When evaluating passage rates by position within the pyelocalyceal model, stones positioned within the upper calyxes consistently had better results, with a 100% passage rate from rear seating, whilst middle and lower calyx positions had a 55.6% and 40.0% passage rate respectively.

 

The effect of gravity can explain how it is easier for stones to pass through the kidney's calyces when they start from the superior pole. A letter to the editor clarified that passage rates were related to application of forces up to 6 times the acceleration of gravity from the rollercoaster. Whilst these external forces can help the excretion of calculi, they are around 30 times weaker than the maximum power density of ultrasonography, a common form of treatment. 

 

It is also important to note that this experiment was a preliminary study. There are many more questions left to be answered before rollercoasters could become the new treatment plan. Factors such as the use of real patients, different types of renal stones as well as the variation in rollercoasters have not yet been evaluated. Thus whilst the doctors suggest that riding a rollercoaster could facilitate the excretion of microscopic calculi in patients who have already passed one before, they also advise that rollercoasters may not be suitable if you are aware that your calculi could cause a blockage within your urinary system. Until then, Disneyworld will have endless other sights for your regular dose of happiness.  


References:

https://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2557373

https://www.baus.org.uk/patients/conditions/6/kidney_stones/

https://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2630258

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