ReviewCanadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada2024
Assessment of the economic relevance of the use of single-use digital flexible ureteroscopes A systematic review.
Review in Canadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Costs of resolving a ureteral or kidney stone episode worldwide: a systematic review.International urology and nephrology · 2026Pooled it
- Micro-cost analysis of reusable compared to affordable single-use flexible ureteroscopes.Canadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada · 2026Article
- Single-use versus reusable flexible ureterorenoscopes with FANS: a multicenter propensity-matched analysis of outcomes in a large series from the EAU-Endourology Section and FANS Collaborative Group.World journal of urology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionBreakages and repairs related to flexible digital reusable ureteroscopes (flURS) are expensive. Thus, we aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of single-use flexible digital ureteroscopes ureteroscopes (SUFDU).
methodsWe conducted a literature review on MEDLINE and EMBASE until September 19, 2018. Systematic reviews and guidelines were assessed for methodologic quality by using standardized grids (R-AMSTAR and AGREE-II). Original studies were analyzed according to local customized grids. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CAPS) tool enabled the assessment of the economic aspects in the literature. We also collected local data over a year in 2017-2018 and conducted an economic evaluation by cost minimization, comparing SUFDU and flURS in our center. By generating different flURS breakage reduction scenarios, we aimed to demonstrate the budgetary impact SUFDU introduction would have in our center.
resultsFive economic studies were included. Data on flURS showed breakage rates between 6.4-13.2%, and mean numbers of interventions before breakage of 7.5-14.4. Four of the five economic analyses suggested a higher cost per intervention with SUFDU. Our local data demonstrated similar results (6.4% and 11.8 cases) and enabled us to estimate the annual number of ureteroscopies for which SUFDU would become profitable: 11-26 (depending on the chosen device). Furthermore, we illustrated how selective use of SUFDU can reduce annual costs by avoiding breakages in different scenarios.
conclusionsThe mean cost per intervention with SUFDU is usually higher than with flURS in high-volume centers and exclusive use becomes unprofitable from a small number of cases.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.