Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34786927›Full record

ReviewInternational braz j urol : official journal of the Brazilian Society of Urology

Single-use flexible ureteroscopes: update and perspective in developing countries. A narrative review.

Eduardo Mazzucchi, Giovanni Scala Marchini, Fernanda Christina Gabrigna Berto, John Denstedt, Alexandre Danilovic, Fabio Carvalho Vicentini, Fabio Cesar Miranda Torricelli, Carlos Alfredo Battagello, Miguel Srougi, William Carlos Nahas

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PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in International braz j urol : official journal of the Brazilian Society of Urology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Micro-cost analysis of reusable compared to affordable single-use flexible ureteroscopes.Canadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada · 2026
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  16. Will the advances in retrograde intrarenal surgery extinguish percutaneous nephrolithotomy for stones larger than 2 cm?International braz j urol : official journal of the Brazilian Society of Urology
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Eduardo MazzucchiSeção de Endourologia, Divisão de Urologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo - FMUSP, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Giovanni Scala MarchiniSeção de Endourologia, Divisão de Urologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo - FMUSP, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Fernanda Christina Gabrigna BertoDivision of Urology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
John DenstedtDivision of Urology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
Alexandre DanilovicSeção de Endourologia, Divisão de Urologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo - FMUSP, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Fabio Carvalho VicentiniSeção de Endourologia, Divisão de Urologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo - FMUSP, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Fabio Cesar Miranda TorricelliSeção de Endourologia, Divisão de Urologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo - FMUSP, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Carlos Alfredo BattagelloSeção de Endourologia, Divisão de Urologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo - FMUSP, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Miguel SrougiSeção de Endourologia, Divisão de Urologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo - FMUSP, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
William Carlos NahasSeção de Endourologia, Divisão de Urologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo - FMUSP, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Western University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Flexible ureteroscopy is a well-established method for treatment of urinary stones but flexible ureteroscopes are expensive and fragile devices with a very limited lifetime. Since 2006 with the advent of digital flexible ureteroscopes a great evolution has occurred. The first single-use flexible ureteroscope was launched in 2011 and new models are coming to the market. The aim of this article is to review the characteristics of these devices, compare their results with the reusable devices and evaluate the cost-benefits of adopting single-use flexible ureteroscopes in developing countries. MATERIALS AND

methodsan extensive review of articles listed at PubMed and published between 2000 and 2021 was performed.

resultsSingle-use flexible ureteroscopes have a shaft with 65 to 68cm length and weight between 119 and 277g. Their deflection goes up to 300 degrees. Their stone-free rates vary between 60 and 95% which is comparable to reusable scopes and operative times ranges from 54 to 86 minutes which are lower when compared to reusable flexible scopes. Their costs vary between 800 and 3180 US dollars.

conclusionsingle-use flexible ureteroscopes are lighter and have superior quality of image when compared to fiberoptic ones. There are no definite data showing a higher stone-free rate or less complications with the use of single-use flexible ureteroscopes. Each institution must perform a cost-benefit analysis before making the decision of adopting or not such devices depending on the local circumstances.

Indexed as

UreteroscopesUrolithiasisDeveloping CountriesEquipment DesignHumansUreteroscopyMeta-Analysis [Publication Type]Surgical Procedures, OperativeUreteroscopes; Kidney Calculi

Identifiers

PMID34786927
PMCPMC9060176
OpenAlexW3211663218

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.