Efficacy and safety of flexible disposable ureterorenoscope wiscope – A single institution experience

Abstract

Introduction. According to the European Association of Urology guidelines, flexible ureterorenoscopy is one of the treatment modalities for kidney stones less than 2 cm. Disposable flexible ureterorenoscopes are superior to reusable ones in terms of scope performance deterioration, damage repair costs and special gas-sterilization equipment. Despite the undeniable progress of disposable flexible ureterorenoscopes in everyday urological practice, the literature lacks a rich database on their technological design and clinical effectiveness. The objective of this paper is to present our experience in the management of kidney stones by a flexible disposable ureteroscope – WiScopeTM. Material and methods. Between the 1st of January 2020 –the 1st of January 2021, 76 patients with kidney stones were treated in our centre by flexible ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsy. The evaluation of demographics, efficacy and safety of the procedure was performed. Results. A successful procedure was recorded in 94.7% (72/76) of the patients. We evaluated the total stone-free rate 8 weeks after the intervention, which was 94.4% (70/72). The complications rate was 13.1% (10/76). No serious adverse events were observed. Conclusions. The use of flexible disposable ureteroscopes has proven a good efficacy and safety. WiScopeТМ is a comparable option among all available flexible disposable ureteroscopes, in terms of all basic characteristics.

Keywords

• flexible ureterorenoscopy
• single-use
• efficacy
• safety