Italian endourological panorama: results from a national survey

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this survey was to explore the dissemination of flexible ureteroscopy (fURS), shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in the Italian urological community and to know the real availability of the complex endourological armamentarium all over the country. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online questionnaire characterizing the case volume/year of upper urinary tract stone treatment and the availability of flexible ureteroscopes (FUs) armamentarium was sent to all urological Italian centers. RESULTS: The survey was sent to 294 urological centers and 146 responded (49.7%). The case volume/year of fURS was the following: <20 cases in 20 centers (13.7%); 20–50 cases in 40 centers (27.4%), >50– <100 cases in 55 centers (37.8%) and >100 cases in 28 centers (19.2%). The case volume/year of SWL was the following: <50 cases in 18 centers (12.3%); >50– <200 cases in 56 centers (36.4%) and >200 cases in 35 centers (24%). In 37 centers (25.3%) SWL was not utilized at all. The case volume/year of PCNL was the following: <10 cases in 20 centers (14%); >10 - <30 cases in 55 centers (30%), >30– < 50 cases in 33 centers(23%), >50– <100 cases in 13 centers (9%) and >100 procedures in 2 centers (1%). However, 24 centers (16%) did not perform any PCNL procedure. Four centers (3%) did not have any FU at the moment of the survey. The availability of FUs was as follows: 1 FU in 21 (14%) centers, 2 FUs in 61 (42%) centers, 3 FUs in 29 (20%) centers, 4 FUs in 13 (9%) centers and ≥5 FUs in 16 (9%) centers. Only 82 (56%) centers had all of their FUs in working condition. CONCLUSIONS: This survey succeeded in providing a complete overview on the Italian endourological panorama.