Thulium fiber laser: the new player for kidney stone treatment? A comparison with Holmium:YAG laser.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

To compare the operating modes of the Holmium:YAG laser and Thulium fiber laser. Additionally, currently available literature on Thulium fiber laser lithotripsy is reviewed.

Materials and methods

Medline, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched for articles relating to the operating modes of Holmium:YAG and Thulium fiber lasers, including systematic review of articles on Thulium fiber laser lithotripsy.

Results

The laser beam emerging from the Holmium:YAG laser involves fundamental architectural design constraints compared to the Thulium fiber laser. These differences translate into multiple potential advantages in favor of the Thulium fiber laser: four-fold higher absorption coefficient in water, smaller operating laser fibers (50-150 µm co

SUBMITTER: Traxer O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7363731 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature