Developments in Ureteroscopic Stone Treatment

Due to advances in endoscope design and miniaturization, along with the development of highly effective surgical lasers, ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsy has become the predominant method for urinary stone treatment in North America. Next generation holmium lasers provide the surgeon with a range of parameters which can help optimize and improve fragmentation efficiency. Ureteroscopic strategies broadly consist of fragmentation with active retrieval, or dusting, which utilizes low pulse and long pulse duration energy settings to break stones into fine fragments for spontaneous passage. Furthermore, significant improvements in laser fiber technology, endoscope technology and ancillary devices for endoluminal stone surgery have propelled the field forward into widespread community practice.

For this Research Topic, the Course Directors of the 2021 Developments in Ureteroscopic Stone Treatment (D.U.S.T.) Symposium welcome surgeons to submit articles that discuss the technical parameters and methods for laser lithotripsy, outline strategies and settings for different scenarios, and introduce the new technologies in this exciting discipline including minimally invasive percutaneous renal stone surgery. The aim is to share current practice standards and to incorporate new strategies in the ureteroscopic management of patients with urinary stones in a very much evolving field.