title: A Prospective Case-Control Study Comparing LithoVue, a Single-Use, Flexible Disposable Ureteroscope, with Flexible, Reusable Fiber-Optic Ureteroscopes.
abstract: LithoVue™ is a novel, single-use, digital flexible ureteroscope that was released to the US market in January 2016. There are scant data regarding its performance in humans. Procedural outcomes comparing LithoVue with reusable ureteroscopes are presented in patients undergoing ureteroscopy for upper urinary tract pathology.
  
  
  
  Clinical outcomes between two groups of patients undergoing flexible ureteroscopy for upper urinary tract pathology were analyzed. The first group underwent surgery utilizing LithoVue, and the second group used reusable fiber-optic flexible ureteroscopes. Differences in procedural outcomes, operative times, and time spent in hospital were analyzed using two-tailed t-tests and chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests.
  
  
  
  One hundred fifteen cases utilizing LithoVue and 65 cases utilizing reusable ureteroscopes were included in this study. Demographics, surgical indications, stone size, location, total stone burden, composition, procedural outcomes, and complications were comparable between groups. For all cases, LithoVue procedures lasted 54.1 ± 25.7 minutes compared with 64.5 ± 37.0 minutes for reusable scope procedures (p < 0.05) and for stone removal cases, 57.3 ± 25.1 vs 70.3 ± 36.9 minutes, respectively (p < 0.05). Scope failure occurred in 4.4% of LithoVue cases and 7.7% of reusable cases (p = 0.27).
  
  
  
  LithoVue represents a feasible alternative to reusable ureteroscopes with a low rate of scope failure comparable with reusable ureteroscopes. Its use shortens procedure duration, a finding that warrants further investigation.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Urology, University of California , San Francisco, San Francisco, California.|2 Division of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University , King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, The Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand .
authors.forename: Manint
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Usawachintachit
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Urology, University of California , San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Dylan S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Isaacson
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Urology, University of California , San Francisco, San Francisco, California.|3 Department of Nephro-Urology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences , Nagoya, Japan .
authors.forename: Kazumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Taguchi
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Urology, University of California , San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: David T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Tzou
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Urology, University of California , San Francisco, San Francisco, California.|4 Department of Urologic Surgery, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Ryan S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Hsi
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Urology, University of California , San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Benjamin A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Sherer
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Urology, University of California , San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Marshall L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Stoller
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Urology, University of California , San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D006801:Humans; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061646:Operative Time; D061214:Patient Safety; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D020709:Ureteroscopes; D018666:Ureteroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D014545:Urinary Calculi / Q000601:surgery; D019459:Urothelium / Q000601:surgery
keywords: equipment design; kidney calculi; ureteroscopes; urolithiasis