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EAU 2019

EAU 2019: “VaporTunnel” Ureteroscopic Holmium Laser Lithotripsy: Intraoperativa and Early Postoperative Outcomes

Barcelona, Spain (UroToday.com) Through the presentation, the author has demonstrated a new effect produced by holmium lithotripter -  litQuanta Cyber (100W) - “VaporTunnel”. The authors define this technique as a result of producing a pulse modulation during holmium laser lithotripsy in which the laser emits part of the energy to create an initial bubble, and the remaining energy is discharged once the bubble is formed so that it can pass through the already formed vapor channel. And the aim of this study was to outline the outcomes of the Vapor Tunnel technology in ureteral stones.

The study was conducted on a cohort of 80 patients (40 patients in each group). The authors evaluated demographic data, stone parameters, perioperative complications, and success rates were compared. The degree of stone retropulsion was assessed by a Likert scale from zero-no retropulsion to 3-maximum retropulsion.

The results of the study were comparable in terms of age, and pre-operative stone size. When compared with the Regular mode, Vapor Tunnel Technology was associated with significantly lower fragmentation time (20.4 vs. 16.1 min, respectively, p<0.05) and total procedural time (49 vs. 35.7 min, p<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in terms of total energy applied to the stones (9.9 vs. 10.7 KJ, p>0.05). The success rate at the end of 1 month was comparable between both groups (92.3 vs. 88.3%, p> 0.05).

Based on the results authors conclude that applying Vapor Tunnel technology reduces operation time due to the high efficiency of lithotripsy with no presence of retropulsion.


Presented by: Giorgio Bozzini, Ph.D., Urologist Researcher Tutor, ASST Valle Olona, Department of Urology, Busto Arsizio, Italy

Written by: Ali Stanislav Ph.D., MD, Fellow, Department of Urology, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russia at the 34th European Association of Urology (EAU 2019) #EAU19 conference in Barcelona, Spain, March 15-19, 2019.