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Background: Propofol is effective and used as a kind of routine anesthetics in procedure sedative anesthesia (PSA) for ureteroscopy. However, respiratory depression and unconscious physical activity always occur during propofol-based PSA, especially in elderly patients. Esketamine has sedative and analgesic effects but without risk of cardiorespiratory depression. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether esketamine can reduce the propofol median effective dose (ED50) for successful ureteroscope insertion in elderly male patients. Materials and methods: 49 elderly male patients undergoing elective rigid ureteroscopy were randomly divided into two groups: SK Group (0.25 mg/kg esketamine+propofol) and SF Group (0.1 µg/kg sufentanil+propofol). Patients in both two groups received propofol with initial bolus dose of 1.5 mg/kg after sufentanil or esketamine was administered intravenously. The effective dose of propofol was assessed by a modified Dixon's up-and-down method and then was adjusted with 0.1 mg/kg according to the previous patient response. Patients' response to ureteroscope insertion was classified as "movement" or "no movement". The primary outcome was the ED50 of propofol for successful ureteroscope insertion with esketamine or sufentanil. The secondary outcomes were the induction time, adverse events such as hemodynamic changes, hypoxemia and body movement were also measured. Result: 49 patients were enrolled and completed this study. The ED50 of propofol for successful ureteroscope insertion in SK Group was 1.356 ± 0.11 mg/kg, which was decreased compared with that in SF Group, 1.442 ± 0.08 mg/kg (P = 0.003). The induction time in SK Group was significantly shorter than in SF Group (P = 0.001). In SK Group, more stable hemodynamic variables were observed than in SF Group. The incidence of AEs between the two groups was not significantly different. Conclusion: The ED50 of propofol with esketamine administration for ureteroscope insertion in elderly male patients is 1.356 ± 0.11 mg/kg, significantly decreased in comparsion with sufentanil. Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, No: ChiCTR2300077170. Registered on 1 November 2023. Prospective registration. http://www.chictr.org.cn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urinary calculi are frequently encountered in urology. Traditionally, the lack of a perfect water injection and drainage system means the observation field is affected during ureteroscopy. Here, we explored the effect and clinical value of a new integrated suctioning semi-rigid ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URSL) for treating ureteral calculi. A total of 180 patients were successfully enrolled in this study (60 in each group). Group A included patients who underwent a traditional semi-rigid URSL, group B included patients who underwent a suctioning semi-rigid URSL with a sheath being connected to a vacuum device, and group C included patients who underwent a new type of suctioning integrated rigid URSL with a novel designed ureteroscope. In total, 164 cases of URSL were completed in one stage. Compared with group A, group C had a higher stone-clearance rate at 30 days postoperatively, shorter operation time, and fewer hospitalization days (p <.05); compared with group B, group C had a higher one-stage operation success rate, shorter operation time, and fewer hospitalization days (p <.05). Comparatively, the new suctioning integrated semi-rigid URSL is advantageous for treating upper urinary calculi, considering the reduced operation time, length of hospital stay, and low invasiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has been the first country to be affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The pandemic resulted in significant disruption of Health Care Services worldwide, and this effect on treatments for urinary stones is currently unclear. This is the first retrospective study involving three tertiary referral centers for urolithiasis across China. We evaluated surgical volumes and peri-operative outcomes of procedures delivered for upper urinary tract stones. We compared trimester prior to restrictions for COVID-19 (October 1st, 2019 to December 31st, 2019, period A), during restrictions (February 1st, 2020 to March 31st, 2020, period B), and afterword (April 1st, 2020 to June 31st, 2020, period C). A total of 2,543 procedures have been carried out. We observed a loss of 743 cases during period B (−29.2%) and 201 during period C (−7.9%). Percutaneous surgery showed the worst reduction, with 507 mini-PCNLs delivered in period A, 168 in period B (−60.8%), and 389 (−18.3%) in period C (p = 0.001). A worst trend was shown for standard PCNLs with 84 procedures carried out in period A, 5 in period B (−95.2%), and 9 (−89.2%) in period C (p = 0.001). Retrograde surgery also decreased, from 420 cases in period A to 190 cases in period B (−54.8%). An increment was however seen in period C when 468 cases have been carried out (+ 11.4%, p = 0.008). In term of SFRs, a difference was noticed for RIRSs, being 69.2%, 80.5%, and 69.3% during three periods (p = 0.045) and semirigid ureteroscopies (90.3%, 97.1%, and 84.8%, p = 0.013). Charlson's Comorbidity Score could not show any difference between groups as well as no differences in term of post-operative complications have been noticed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible ureteroscopy (f-URS) is a minimally invasive surgical technique used for treating urinary tract stones. While general anesthesia (GA) is the standard method used, it comes with risks. Local anesthesia (LA) is a safer and more cost-effective alternative to GA, and its use in f-URS could potentially reduce patients' risks and increase accessibility to treatment. This study aims to investigate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of using LA for f-URS in treating stones, as an initial experience in the diagnosis related group (DRG) era of China. Patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were continuously included in the study Between 2021 and 2023. We analyzed the stone free status, postoperative complication rate, hospitalization costs, and presented key points of the procedure performed under LA that we had summarized over the past two years. A study of 614 patients undergoing f-URS under LA for urinary stones in our hospital showed 83.4% stone-free rate with a mean operative time of 44.12 ± 16.63 minutes; 18 patients experienced fever postoperatively, and 12 had ureteral injuries. No severe complication was reported. The cost of LA was found to be only 1.7% of the DRG payment, which is around $40. The highest VAS scores were observed during the sheath insertion, with STAI scores decreasing during and after surgery. The study revealed that f-URS administered under LA was a well-tolerated, efficient, safe, and economical procedure. In the DRG era, this new anesthetic option for f-URS provides urologists with a more cost-effective alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of a single-use digital flexible ureteroscope (FURS) and a reusable FURS for the treatment of lower pole stones (LPS) smaller than 20 mm. Patients and Methods: We analyzed the data of 49 patients with LPS from our previous multicenter, randomized, open-label clinical trial in four hospitals in China. All patients underwent FURS for LPS with a single-use FURS ZebraScope™ (trial group) or a reusable FURS URF-V (control group). The efficacy endpoints assessed were the 1-month postsurgical stone-free rate (SFR), operative time, length of postoperative hospital stay, and mean reduction in hemoglobin level. The safety outcomes assessed were the presence of adverse events (AEs), severe AEs (SAEs), and postoperative complications. Results: The demographic and preoperative parameters were comparable between the two groups. The 1-month SFR was 84.00% for the ZebraScope group and 58.33% for the reusable flexible ureteroscope (URF-V) group (p < 0.05). There was no difference between the two groups in the operative time (p = 0.665), length of hospital stay (p = 0.308), presence of postoperative complications (p = 0.307), presence of AEs (p = 0.483), and the presence of SAEs (p = 0.141). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that single-use digital FURS is a safe and effective option and can offer higher SFR than the reusable FURS in the treatment of LPS smaller than 20 mm. We recommend single-use digital FURS as an alternative to reusable FURS for the treatment of LPS. The Clinical Trial Registration number: ChiCTR1900021615. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In ureterorenoscopy, anaesthesiologists are preferring regional anaesthesia to avoid postoperative complications, while surgeons are preferring general anaesthesia to avoid ureteral trauma. China has not published its guidelines and not referring to the European Association of Urology guidelines. The objectives of study were to evaluate the effects of general, spinal, and epidural anaesthesia on ureter access and surgical outcomes of ureterorenoscopy. Charts of a total of 392 patients with the American Society of Anaesthesiologists grade I or II, and underwent flexible ureterorenoscopy for removal of the proximal, middle, or distal ureteral single stone under general anaesthesia (GA group; n = 145) or spinal anaesthesia (SA group; n = 131) or epidural anaesthesia (EA group; n = 116) were reviewed retrospectively. The dilatation time for patients of GA group was fewer than those of SA (104.01 ± 12.77 sec/patient vs. 130.55 ± 22.53 sec/patient, p <.0001, q = 17.0350) and EA (104.01 ± 12.77 sec/patient vs. 147.03 ± 18.76 sec/patient, p <.0001, q = 26.7240) groups. The time to reach to stone for patients of GA group was fewer than those of SA (126.68 ± 12.59 sec/patient vs. 137.60 ± 17.84 sec/patient, p <.0001, q = 8.4510) and EA (126.68 ± 12.59 sec/patient vs. 149.44 ± 14.85 sec/patient, p <.0001, q = 17.0350) groups. The lithotripsy time (p =.359), operation time (p =.449), intraoperative complications (p =.058), and length of hospital stays (p =.057) of patients were same among groups. Visual analog scale pain scores of patients of the GA group found higher among groups. General anaesthesia caused nausea and vomiting. This study suggests general anaesthesia for flexible ureterorenoscopy if there is no contraindication. General anaesthesia facilitates early dilatation of ureters and access to the stone. No strong correlation of the anaesthesia method of choice with lithotripsy time, operation time, intraoperative complications, stone-free conditions, and length of hospital stays. Epidural and spinal anaesthesia have advantages of fewer postoperative pain and better postoperative outcomes for flexible ureterorenoscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pediatric urolithiasis is a less common disease with a steadily increasing incidence of 10.6 % per year. The comprehensive management of pediatric urolithiasis is more challenging than in adults, and published studies of endourological treatment in children have small sample sizes and older mean ages, which may not be representative of the overall pediatric population, especially in infants and toddlers. This study aimed to report results of retrograde ureteroscopy for treating pediatric ureteral stones in infants and toddlers (<3 years) from a single center in China., Methods: Demographic and surgical data of infants and toddlers with ureteral stones who underwent retrograde URS were retrospectively analyzed from January 2015 to September 2022., Results: The mean age of 100 infants (73 boys and 27 girls) was 19.6 ± 7.6 months and stone burden was 0.27 (0.11-0.52) cm³. 111 procedures were performed for all children due to 11 patients with bilateral ureteric stones were simultaneously treated. Among them, 70.3 % were semi-rigid URS, 12.6 % were Micro-URS and 17.1 % were flexible URS. SFR was up to 96 %, the median operation time and hospitalization days were 35.0 (25.0-50.0) minutes and 6.0 (5.0-6.0) days, respectively. 15 (15.0 %) infants had postoperative fever (Grade I), and complications above grade I were not observed., Discussions: This research reported the largest sample size of infant and toddler ureteric stones (under 3 years old) and shared optimal management strategies for these special populations. Compared to other related studies, we had a higher SFR due to diverse management strategies and reasonable application of pre-operative ureteric stents. The most important potential reason why our complication rate was relatively higher might be the younger population under 3 years old. In additionally, the reason of long hospitalization was maybe some patients underwent staged surgeries during one hospitalization. Those results indicated the robust effectiveness of URS for infants. This study has limitations, including its retrospective single-center design, absence of long-term follow-up data, and potential variability in surgical outcomes due to differences in surgeons' experience., Conclusions: The experience of endourologic procedures for 100 infant and toddler patients with ureteric stones from a Chinese single center was reported. And URS showed its effectiveness and safety for those special populations based on its high SFR and low complication rate., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: In ureterorenoscopy, anaesthesiologists are preferring regional anaesthesia to avoid postoperative complications, while surgeons are preferring general anaesthesia to avoid ureteral trauma. China has not published its guidelines and not referring to the European Association of Urology guidelines. The objectives of study were to evaluate the effects of general, spinal, and epidural anaesthesia on ureter access and surgical outcomes of ureterorenoscopy. Methods: Charts of a total of 392 patients with the American Society of Anaesthesiologists grade I or II, and underwent flexible ureterorenoscopy for removal of the proximal, middle, or distal ureteral single stone under general anaesthesia (GA group; n=145) or spinal anaesthesia (SA group; n=131) or epidural anaesthesia (EA group; n=116) were reviewed retrospectively. Results: The dilatation time for patients of GA group was fewer than those of SA (104.01 ± 12.77 sec/patient vs. 130.55 ± 22.53 sec/patient, p<.0001, q=17.0350) and EA (104.01 ± 12.77 sec/patient vs. 147.03 ± 18.76 sec/patient, p<.0001, q=26.7240) groups. The time to reach to stone for patients of GA group was fewer than those of SA (126.68 ± 12.59 sec/patient vs. 137.60 ± 17.84 sec/patient, p<.0001, q=8.4510) and EA (126.68 ± 12.59 sec/patient vs. 149.44 ± 14.85 sec/patient, p<.0001, q=17.0350) groups. The lithotripsy time (p<.359), operation time (p<.449), intraoperative complications (p<.058), and length of hospital stays (p<.057) of patients were same among groups. Visual analog scale pain scores of patients of the GA group found higher among groups. General anaesthesia caused nausea and vomiting. Conclusions: This study suggests general anaesthesia for flexible ureterorenoscopy if there is no contraindication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the cost-effectiveness of medical expulsive therapy (MET) versus observation for large distal ureteral stones in China and provide preliminary evidence for the determination of the course of MET by mathematical estimation.Materials and Methods: With linear success rate assumptions, a decision tree was constructed by TreeAge Pro 2011 software. The stones passage rates after observation or receiving 0.4 mg daily tamsulosin were estimated according to a large randomized clinical trial (RCT). The costs of ureteroscopy, drugs and examinations were estimated according to related price from pharmacies or hospitals, or the guidance price published by the government. MET was also compared with observation by the sensitivity analysis. The effectiveness of MET or observation was presented by quality-adjusted life-day. Mathematical estimation of stone expulsion time was made by using a decision-analytic Markov model under the assumption that the daily stone expulsion probability is constant.Results: In China, the MET was associated with a $295.1 cost advantage over observation. The cost of ureteroscopy has to decrease to $77.8 to reach cost equivalence between observation and MET. Observation is cost-effective only if ureteroscopy is very cheap or the difference of stone expulsion rates is insignificant. The estimated expulsion time was much longer than those reported in above mentioned RCT.Conclusion: Due to the high cost of ureteroscopy, MET showed a cost advantage over observation in treating distal ureteral stones in China. The daily stone passage rate was inconstant. More studies are needed to find the appropriate duration of MET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The correlation of the degree of hydronephrosis and computed tomography (CT) value of calculi with the efficacy of ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URSL) in patients with upper urinary tract infectious calculi was explored., Methods: The clinical data of 152 patients with upper urinary tract infectious calculi and on URSL in Shanghai Baoshan District Wusong Central Hospital from November 2019 to November 2021 were collected for retrospective analysis. All patients received CT examination before surgery. According to the therapeutic effect of URSL, all patients were divided into the non-calculi group (NCG, n = 101) and residual calculi group (RCG, n = 51), which were compared in terms of the degree of hydronephrosis and CT value of calculi. Then, the correlation of the degree of hydronephrosis and CT value of calculi with the efficacy of URSL in patients was analysed., Results: No significant difference in clinical data was found between the groups ( p > 0.05). Patients in the NCG group had lower degree of hydronephrosis than those in the RCG group ( p < 0.05), and the NCG had lower CT value of calculi ( p < 0.001). Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that the degree of hydronephrosis in patients with upper urinary tract infectious calculi was negatively correlated with the efficacy of URSL (r = -0.676, p < 0.001), and the CT value of calculi in such patients was negatively correlated with the efficacy of URSL (r = -0.795, p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The degree of hydronephrosis and CT value of calculi were negatively correlated with the efficacy of URSL. Both can be used to predict clinical efficacy and have clinical guiding value for the formulation of treatment plans in patients with urinary tract infectious calculi., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

To investigate the efficacy and safety of mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PCNL) under total ultrasonography in patients aged <3 years. Methods: We reviewed 56 patients (67 renal units) aged <3 years between August 2006 and December 2012 in our units, including 31 renal units with a single stone, 6 with staghorn stones, 10 with upper ureteral stones, and 20 with multiple stones. The mean age of the patients was 24 (range 6-36) months and the mean maximum stone diameter was 18.9 (range 10-32) mm. The puncture site selection and tract dilation were guided by Doppler ultrasonography solely. All procedures were performed using 12-16 Fr tracts. Stones were fragmented using pneumatic lithotripsy and a holmium laser with an 8/9.8 Fr rigid ureteroscope. Forty-five patients with unilateral stones underwent a single procedure, and 11 patients with bilateral stones underwent two procedures. The mean time to establish access was 2.9 (range 2.1-5) min, the mean operative time was 36.8 (range 20-88) min, the mean decrease in hemoglobin concentration was 8.7 (2-15) g/L, and the stone-free rate at hospital discharge was 92.5 %. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 7.1 (range 3-13) days. Post-procedure complications included fever (>38.5 °C) in four patients, and reactive pleural effusion in one patient. Blood loss requiring transfusion, sepsis, adjacent organ injury, and kidney loss were not observed. Ultrasound-guided mini-PCNL is feasible and safe in patients aged <3 years, without major complications or radiation exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the management of antithrombotic drugs made by different urologists before ureteroscopic lithotripsy and flexible ureteroscopy in stone patients undergoing active anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy., Methods: A survey was distributed to 613 urologists in China, which included personal work information and views on the management of anticoagulants (AC) or antiplatelet (AP) drugs during the perioperative period of ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URL) and flexible ureteroscopy (fURS)., Results: 20.5% of urologists believed that AP drugs could be continued and 14.7% believed that AC drugs could be continued. 26.1% of the urologists who participated in more than 100 ureteroscopic lithotripsy or flexible ureteroscopy surgeries each year believed that AP drugs could be continued and 19.1% believed that AC drugs could be continued, compared with 13.6% (P < 0.01) and 9.2% (P < 0.01) of the urologists who performed less than 100 surgeries. Among the urologists with more than 20 cases undergoing active AC or AP therapy per year, 25.9% thought that AP drugs could be continued and 19.7% thought that AC drugs could be continued, compared with 17.1% (P = 0.008) and 11.5% (P = 0.005) of the urologists with less than 20 cases., Conclusion: The decision on the continuation of AC or AP drugs before ureteroscopic and flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy should be individualized. The experience in URL and fURS surgeries and in dealing with patients under AC or AP therapy is the influencing factor., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

China has been the first country to be affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The pandemic resulted in significant disruption of Health Care Services worldwide, and this effect on treatments for urinary stones is currently unclear. This is the first retrospective study involving three tertiary referral centers for urolithiasis across China. We evaluated surgical volumes and peri-operative outcomes of procedures delivered for upper urinary tract stones. We compared trimester prior to restrictions for COVID-19 (October 1st, 2019 to December 31st, 2019, period A), during restrictions (February 1st, 2020 to March 31st, 2020, period B), and afterword (April 1st, 2020 to June 31st, 2020, period C). A total of 2,543 procedures have been carried out. We observed a loss of 743 cases during period B (-29.2%) and 201 during period C (-7.9%). Percutaneous surgery showed the worst reduction, with 507 mini-PCNLs delivered in period A, 168 in period B (-60.8%), and 389 (-18.3%) in period C (p = 0.001). A worst trend was shown for standard PCNLs with 84 procedures carried out in period A, 5 in period B (-95.2%), and 9 (-89.2%) in period C (p = 0.001). Retrograde surgery also decreased, from 420 cases in period A to 190 cases in period B (-54.8%). An increment was however seen in period C when 468 cases have been carried out (+ 11.4%, p = 0.008). In term of SFRs, a difference was noticed for RIRSs, being 69.2%, 80.5%, and 69.3% during three periods (p = 0.045) and semirigid ureteroscopies (90.3%, 97.1%, and 84.8%, p = 0.013). Charlson's Comorbidity Score could not show any difference between groups as well as no differences in term of post-operative complications have been noticed., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: It was the aim of this study to compare the efficiency and safety between shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) and ureteroscopic holmium laser lithotripsy (URL) methods for ureteral calculi while also determining which option is more cost-effective. Patients and Methods: During January 2008 to September 2009, a prospective randomized study was conducted to compare both modalities for the management of solitary radiopaque ureteral stones. Patient and stone characteristics, treatment outcome and charges were documented. Both options were compared using univariate statistical tests to identify the efficiency quotient and cost-effectiveness for ureteral calculi according to the stone location. Results: A total of 257 patients were in the SWL group, while 269 were in the URL group. The efficiency quotients for SWL and URL were 0.81 and 0.88, respectively. The initial stone-free rate of URL for lower ureteral calculi was higher (p = 0.002), while the complication rate of SWL for upper ureteral calculi was lower (p = 0.027). The SWL group required lower hospitalization charges (USD 440 vs. 1,221; p < 0.001), lower total charges (USD 454 vs. 1,284; p < 0.001) and a shorter period of hospitalization (5.4 vs. 6.6 days; p < 0.001) compared with the URL group for all ureteral locations. For mid and lower ureteral calculi, the postoperative office visits of the URL group were fewer (1.03 vs. 1.1 times; p = 0.001). Conclusions: Primary in situ SWL for upper and middle ureteral calculi showed lower complication rates compared to URL and was more cost-effective in Eastern China. However, primary URL was a better option for treating lower ureteral stones with a higher stone-free rate but was more expensive. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: During ureteroscopy, severe ureter straightness or contortion may occur before the stone is passed., Purpose: To identify clinical factors associated with distal ureteral status below the ureteral calculi in patients before surgery., Material and Methods: From October 2016 to March 2017, 101 patients with ureteral calculi who underwent ureteroscopic lithotripsy were reviewed. Patients who lacked clinical data and underwent preoperative indwelling ureteral stent placement were excluded. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the clinical factors associated with intraoperative findings., Results: A total of 101 patients were enrolled in the study (mean age  =  54 years; mean stone size  =  7.9 ± 4.5 mm). Overall, 25 of the 101 patients (24.7%) were diagnosed with poor distal ureteral status defined as intraoperative ureterostenosis or contortion resulting in a ureteroscope being unable to pass during the initial attempt. Univariate analysis showed significant differences in renal parenchyma thickness, ureteral wall thickening on imaging, and stone location (all, P  < 0.05) with and without poor distal ureteral status. On multivariable analysis, renal parenchyma thickness (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.288; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.099-0.838; P  = 0.022) and ureteral wall thickening on imaging (aOR 6.114; 95% CI 2.015-18.548; P  = 0.001) independently predicted poor distal ureteral status. However, only renal parenchyma thickness was associated with severe ureter straightness or tortuosity that resulted in conversion., Conclusion: In conclusion, renal parenchyma thickness and ureteral wall thickening on imaging were associated with poor distal ureteral status. Therefore, patients with these predictive factors should undergo more intensive preparation before surgery.

Introduction and Objective: Single-use flexible ureteroscopes have the benefit of decreasing infection transmission, avoiding sterilization need, and no maintenance cost. Primary objective was to compare in vivo performance and surgical outcomes with two single-use ureteroscopes: LithoVue (Boston Scientific, USA) and Uscope PU3022a (Zhuhai Pusen, China) with secondary objective being to compare in vivo vision by independent endourologist blinded to ureteroscope manufacturer. Materials and Methods: Fifty patients undergoing retrograde intrarenal surgery with <2 cm renal stones were prospectively allocated: Group 1 (25 patients) for LithoVue and group 2 (25 patients) for Uscope. Pre-, intra-, and postoperative parameters were evaluated. Vision of both ureteroscopes with and without accessory was evaluated by an independent endourologist, blinded to the make of the ureteroscope. Stone clearance was assessed with kidney, ureter, and bladder radiograph (KUB) and ultrasonography KUB at 1 month. Student's t -test for quantitative and chi-square for categorical data was used. Results: Pre- and intraoperative parameters such as need for ureteral dilatation ( p  > 0.05), ureteral access-sheath size ( p  = 0.78), accessibility to pelvicaliceal system ( p  > 0.05), and maneuverability ( p  > 0.05) were comparable in both groups. Lower-pole access was possible in all cases of LithoVue and slightly difficult in three cases of Uscope ( p  > 0.5). Intraoperative vision was hazy in four cases of LithoVue and eight cases of Uscope ( p  = 0.32) during lasing along with three cases of Uscope with accessory ( p  = 0.24). Blinded endourologist reported more cases of hazy vision with or without accessory or lasing in Uscope arm ( p  > 0.05). One device had malfunction in LithoVue arm. Complete stone clearance was achieved in all cases at 1 month. Conclusions: We conclude that performance of these two single-use ureteroscopes, LithoVue and Uscope, is comparable in clinical settings with similar clinical outcomes and complications.

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of a single-use digital flexible ureteroscope (f-URS) and a reusable digital f-URS (URF-V) for the treatment of renal stones in adults. Patients and Methods: In this randomized open-label noninferiority trial, we randomly selected patients with renal stones to receive ureteroscopy through a single-use digital f-URS (ZebraScope ™ ; Happiness Workshop, Beijing, China) or a URF-V (Olympus, Tokyo, Japan). The primary endpoint was the 1-month postsurgical stone-free rate (SFR). The secondary efficacy endpoints assessed were the high-quality rate of images, the eligible rate of operability, the operative time, and the length of hospital stay. The safety outcomes assessed were the presence of postoperative complications, adverse events (AEs), and serious AEs (SAEs). The noninferiority margin was set at -10%. Results: In total, 126 patients completed the study (i.e., 63 patients in each group). The demographic and preoperative parameters were comparable between the two groups. The 1-month SFR was 77.78% for the ZebraScope group and 68.25% for the URF-V group (two-sided 95% confidence interval [CI]: -5.95 to 25.01). The high-quality rate of images and the eligible rate of operability were 100% in both groups (two-sided 95% CI: -5.27 to 5.35). There was no difference between the two groups in the operative time ( p  = 0.687), the length of hospital stay ( p  = 0.430), the presence of postoperative complications ( p  = 0.310), the presence of AEs ( p  = 0.709), and the presence of SAEs ( p  = 0.648). The most important and fatal SAE was acute urinary tract obstruction. Conclusion: The single-use digital f-URS (ZebraScope) appears to be at least noninferior to URF-V regarding the 1-month SFR, the high-quality rate of images, and the eligible rate of operability. Single-use digital f-URSs are an effective and safe alternative to URF-V.