Outcomes of thulium fibre laser for treatment of urinary tract stones: results of a systematic review

Lasers have become a fundamental aspect of stone treatment. Although Holmium:Yttrium-Aluminum-garnet (Ho:YAG) laser is the current gold-standard in endoscopic laser lithotripsy, there is a lot of buzz around the new thulium fibre laser (TFL). We decided to evaluate the latest data to help create an objective and evidence-based opinion about this new technology and associated clinical outcomes. RECENT FINDINGS: Sixty full-text articles and peer-reviewed abstract presentations were included in the qualitative synthesis of this systematic review performed over the last 2 years. Current super pulsed TFL machines are capable of achieving peak powers of 500W and emit very small pulse energies of 0.025 Joules going up to 6 Joules, and capable of frequency over 2000 Hz. This makes the TFL ablate twice as fast for fragmentation, 4 times as fast for dusting, more stone dust of finer size and less retropulsion compared to the Ho:YAG laser. Because of the smaller laser fibres with the TFL, future miniaturization of instruments is also possible. SUMMARY: Based on the review, the TFL is a potential game-changer for kidney stone disease and has a promising role in the future. However larger multicentric prospective clinical studies with long-term follow-up are needed to establish the safety and efficacy of the TFL in endourology.