The future of laser technology in kidney stones

Purpose of review The aim of this study was to present the recent and promising innovations of the new laser technologies used for the treatment of renal stones. Recent findings Taking advantage of pulse modulation, new technologies such as the Moses effect, the Virtual basket and the Vapor tunnel have been introduced. These technologies seem to improve lithotripsy efficacy by reducing retropulsion and increasing the stone ablation rate. High-power laser lithotripsy has arisen in everyday clinical practice in some centres. The combination of equal efficacy and safety levels compared with the low-power laser lithotripsy and significantly reduced operative time could explain this trend. Thulium fibre laser is an innovative type of laser-emitting machine that offers a lot of advantages compared with its predecessors. The different mechanism of creating the laser pulse offers new possibilities in laser lithotripsy and perhaps in the future thulium fibre laser could replace Ho:YAG as the golden standard for laser lithotripsy. Summary Laser lithotripsy is heavily based on technological equipment. The continuous improvement of available lasers increases the endoscopic lithotripsy levels of efficacy and safety.