Editorial Comment: Safety of a Novel Thulium Fiber Laser for Lithotripsy: An In Vitro Study on the Thermal Effect and Its Impact Factor

摘要

Thulium fiber laser (TFL) is composed of silica fiber doped with Thulium ions triggered during the laser activation. Since 2005, TFL has been evaluated in several preclinical studies for the management of urolithiasis (1). Previous in vitro studies showed TFL produced faster stone ablation rates, smaller stone fragments and lower retropulsion than the Holmium:YAG laser (2, 3). However, the specific heat production of TFL is four times higher than that of the Holmium:YAG laser (2). Irrigation rate and laser power settings are critical to avoid biological damage due to thermal effect of Holmium:YAG laser (4). Therefore, it is important to know the major determinants of thermal effect of TFL.