ReviewCanadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada2026
Adoption of thulium fiber laser for lithotripsy A scoping review and bibliometric analysis.
Review in Canadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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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
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Who cites it
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionWhile holmium:YAG for laser lithotripsy remains the gold standard, the thulium fibre laser (TFL) has gained traction as a tool in urolithiasis management. The objective of this study was to review its adoption and use as a clinically effective laser lithotrite.
methodsWe performed a scoping review for articles on TFL for lithotripsy according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Available clinical outcomes and pre-clinical processes from studies were extracted. A bibliometric analysis was performed to outline and visualize publication trends overall and between clinical vs. pre-clinical studies. The review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Review (CRD42022300788).
resultsWe identified a total of 107 studies using TFL for lithotripsy, 38 clinical and including 2803 patients, and 69 pre-clinical. Of the clinical studies, 26 (68%) were prospective and 29 (76%) involved ureteroscopic management of stones compared to 11 (29%) involving percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Complication rates remained acceptable at 0-32%, and stonefree rates varied from 61-100%. Tissue damage from TFL varied from 0-8%. Bibliometric analyses showed a rise in publications after 2020 in both clinical and pre-clinical work, with the U.S. (34%) and then Russia (12%) as the leading countries, and the Journal of Endourology (24%) and World Journal of Urology (23%) being the leading venues.
conclusionsBy unifying clinical outcomes and pre-clinical insights, this review showed the maturation of TFL into an effective, versatile lithotripsy modality with accelerating global uptake. Further evidence is required to better characterize the remaining clinical variability, lack of standardized outcome definitions, and cost-effectiveness.
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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.