Multi-Center Comparison of Dual Lumen Versus Single Lumen Ureteroscopes

Plain-language summary

Urolithiasis (kidney stones) is a common disease process affecting people all across the world. Usually, if the stone size is small, it is able to pass through the urinary system and exit the bladder on its own with no treatment. However, when the size of the stone is bigger, it can get trapped in the kidney or the ureter, causing significant pain for the patient and potentially obstructing urine flow. If this occurs, surgical treatment is necessary for the removal of the stone. The surgical procedure often employed involves the use of a ureteroscope, which is a device that includes a camera and channels for working instruments such as a grasper and laser fiber to be placed during a procedure. Ureteroscopes that are currently in use are flexible and have the ability to treat stones that may otherwise be inaccessible in the kidney. Most flexible ureteroscopes in clinical use currently only have one channel therefore only allowing one instrument to be used at a time. Recently, a new type of ureteroscope has been introduced in the market that offers the advantage of having two working channels where two instruments can be inserted for use during stone treating procedure. This can potentially decrease procedure time for patients affected by kidney stones. The purpose of this research is to compare the efficacy and safety of the ureteroscopes that have only one channel for instrument insertion with the newer ureteroscope that has two channels for utilization during stone treatment.

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