Boston Scientific launches ureteroscopic stone treatment tool

Urologists currently need a second person to operate the basket used to collect kidney stones during the operation to remove them via flexible ureteroscopy. But now Boston Scientific Corporation has launched the LithoVue Empower Retrieval Deployment Device, designed to be used with the LithoVue Single-Use Digital Flexible Ureteroscope and compatible nitinol retrieval basket. This will mean just one person is required for the stone basketing procedure which will allow the surgeon to operate the ureteroscope and basket at the same time when removing kidney stones, giving them more control and removing the possibility of miscommunication.

David Pierce, executive vice president and president, MedSurg, Boston Scientific, said: “The LithoVue Empower Device was developed in direct response to a need to improve procedural bottlenecks during kidney stone removal procedures. We are committed to identifying and addressing unmet needs to enable healthcare providers to advance patient outcomes, reduce procedural costs, enhance quality of care and evolve the treatment of urologic and pelvic conditions.”
Dr. Brian Matlaga, the Stephens Professor of Urology at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and director of stone disease, James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute and presenting author of the data, said: “The LithoVue Empower Device is a unique tool that can improve ureteroscopic stone treatment as it puts the process of stone manipulation entirely into the hands of the surgeon. Ultimately, the LithoVue Empower Device introduces a novel efficiency into ureteroscopic stone surgery, as it makes it simpler for the urologist to pick up and move a stone, a historic source of frustration for this procedure.”