PDD-guided thulium fiber laser en-bloc enucleation of bladder tumor

A Systematic Review of Thulium Fiber Laser: Applications and Advantages of Laser Technology in the Field of Urology

Laser technology is widely used in urological surgery, from lithotripsy, prostate surgery to en-bloc resection of tumours. While Holmium:YAG has been widely employed over the last two decades, in recent years, there has been a surge of interest in Thulium Fiber Laser (TFL), which offers theoretical advantages of better water absorption and lower stone ablation thresholds. A systematic review was conducted to assess the evidence from clinical research on TFL's application for lithotripsy and prostate surgery. It identified 357 articles and 8 (1506 patients) were selected, of which 4 clinical studies each investigated TFL enucleation of prostate (ThuFLEP) and TFL lithotripsy. For flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy (FURSL), stone ablation settings ranged from 0.1-4 J, and 7-300 Hz, mean operative time ranged from 23.4-39.8 minutes and lasing time ranged from 1.2-10 minutes. For stone dusting in percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), settings of 0.2 J and 125-200 Hz were found to be optimal. For ThuFLEP, all studies showed a significant improvement in IPSS (International Prostate Symptom Score), urinary flow rate (Qmax), quality of life measures, and post-void residual volume, with mean operative time ranging from 67-104.5 minutes. Our review shows that there is limited evidence on the use and clinical outcomes of TFL. ThuFLEP might suggest equivalence to the widely used HoLEP in the available evidence so far. TFL lithotripsy shows promising results but further prospective, randomized trials are required to properly assess its usability, clinical effectiveness and standardisation of the settings for successful adoption of the technology.

A review of thulium-fiber laser in stone lithotripsy and soft tissue surgery

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To evaluate emerging evidence and practical applications of thulium-fiber laser (TFL) for genitourinary soft tissue disease and urinary stone disease treatment.

RECENT FINDINGS

A systematic review was developed using the PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wiley, SpringerLink and Mary Ann Liebert Scopus databases between 2012 and 2020 years, using the PRISMA statement. We analyzed recent publications including in vitro and in humans outcomes of surgery using TFL. This new laser technology can be used in soft tissue diseases and stones present in the genitourinary system. Most of the comparisons are made with the Ho:YAG laser, using completely different settings. Nevertheless, TFL is safe, feasible and effective in the management of urologic diseases, showing superiority to Ho:YAG even in some studies.

SUMMARY

The introduction of pulsed TFL technology has enabled the ablation of stones at rates comparable to or better than currently existing lasers in vitro, while also potentially reducing stone retropulsion. TFL is effective in treating genitourinary soft tissue diseases, including benign prostatic hyperplasia, and early data indicate that it may be effective in the treatment of urinary stone disease. More clinical studies are needed to better understand the indications for this novel technology and clarify its position in the urologic endoscopy armamentarium.