Thomas Chi, MD, Receives Grant to Explore New Way of Imaging Kidney and Ureter

Submitted by UCSF Urology on July 12, 2016 at 10:14 am
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UCSF Urology assistant professor Thomas Chi, MD, Dr Tom Chispecializes in Nephrolithiasis and Minimally Invasive Surgery.  When research showed kidney stone incidence on the rise, he recognized there is a silent, under-recognized danger for patients who receive repetitive exposure to ionizing radiation from current X ray and computed tomography (CT) imaging techniques.  To combat this, Dr. Chi proposed utilizing Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound Nephrostogram (CEUS) as an alternative for evaluating antegrade renal drainage.  The NIH recently awarded Dr. Chi $275,000 in the form of an R21 dedicated to exploratory research to support this ongoing work.

Peter Carroll, MD, MPH, Professor and Chair of the department calls the idea “innovative” and “transformative” predicting that CEUS with nephrostomy injection will become the standard for patients with urinary stone disease. 

“Should this research prove true,” says Dr. Carroll, “wide-spread adoption should be swift and considerable.”