A study conducted by the Department of Urology, University Hospital of PatrasIn Greece, researchers have attempted to assess the safety of different types of lasers used to treat kidney stones. The growth of laser technology... lithotripsy The use of lasers has undoubtedly increased in recent decades, which is why this working group has attempted to analyze the advantages, safety and effectiveness of the most commonly used laser techniques for treating the disease.
For example, the Holmium laser The Ho:YAG laser is a type of laser that has been used in endourology for over twenty years. As one of the oldest and most established lasers, it has been the subject of numerous studies demonstrating its effectiveness. With this type of laser, the output power can be modulated by adjusting the energy, frequency, and pulse width. Several recent studies explain that the new Moses dual-pulse modulation system increases the efficiency of stone ablation and reduces their retropulsion.
Another laser type is the Thulium Fiber (TFL). It is newer than the previous one and has been adapted to a very small laser fiber size. This allows for the generation of very low laser energy and, at the same time, a very high pulse frequency.
Overall, the study's findings indicate that both types of lasers are effective and safe and will play a very important role in laser lithotripsy in the near future. Although the technique is considered safe, the authors explain that precautions must be taken to avoid adverse events for the patient or operating room staff.
Finally, they explain that the Holmium laser remains the clinical standard preferred by specialists due to its long history and proven results over the last two decades. Furthermore, the Moses technology, with its ability to reduce retropulsion, significantly improves the technique. Despite this preference, they state that the TFL laser has the potential to compete with, and could even replace, the Holmium laser in the future. In any case, the experts emphasize the importance of taking extreme safety precautions with any modality of this technique.
If you would like to learn more about this study, you can do so at the following link:
To find out why kidney stones form, how they are diagnosed, and finally what treatments we use at ICUA, click on the following link:
https://www.icua.es/urologia-avanzada/calculos-urinarios/
ICUA Team
