Intracorporeal Lithotripsy Stone Retrieval for PCNL

Principal investigator: Amy E. Krambeck, Indiana University, Indianapolis, USA

Chosen by the experts: Swiss LithoClast®️ Trilogy - fast, easy and safe stone management!

Study background

The main goal of this multi-center, prospective, randomized trial, conducted by Dr. Krambeck and her team, was to evaluate the efficiency of two combination lithotripters for performing standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL).  The full study is available under this link.

51 patients treated with Swiss LithoClast® Trilogy vs. 49 treated with Olympus ShockPulse SE were included in the study.

The study results were presented  by Amy Krambeck at the SIU Annual World Virtual Congress 2020 session MC-03: Master Class 03 - New Technologies in Stone Removal on October 10, 2020 as a live moderated video. To allow for broader comparison, additional research on available data comparing clinical performance of Swiss LithoClast® Trilogy with its market competitors, Olympus Cyberwand, Swiss LithoClast® Select, LMA StoneBreaker, was utilized.

Swiss LithoClast®️ Trilogy was compared with other devices in terms of: 

• time and efficiency (stone clearance time & effectiveness, suction and extraction mechanisms), 
• safety (post-op complications, auxiliary treatments),
• ease of use and ergonomics (device malfunctions).  

Results on Swiss LithoClast®️ Trilogy’s clinical performance

The study proved that Swiss LithoClast®️ Trilogy is:

1. Fast! Faster stone clearance speed than competing dual-energy lithotripter

• The study indicated that in terms of stone volume clearance rate, Swiss LithoClast® Trilogy can be 60% faster than Olympus ShockPulse SE  (p = 0.0542)
• Overall, comparing different clinical studies available, not only is Swiss LithoClast®️ Trilogy on average 3-4 times faster than other devices in terms of stone clearance time; it also has 2.8 – 3.4 times higher stone clearance rate!   

2. Reliable and easy! Easier to use than other systems

• Device malfunction appeared only in 1.9% of cases in which Swiss LithoClast® Trilogy was used, comparing to 34.6% of cases with the use of Olympus ShockPulse SE  (p = 0.001) 
• Because of the plug & play system, there are less parts to assemble and less potential for errors. In fact, the reported malfunction was related to a probe, which can easily be replaced. 

Compared with previously performed studies, Swiss LithoClast®️ Trilogy outperforms the other devices in case of reliability: device malfunctions occurred only in 0-4.7% of the cases in which it was used, compared to 11-17% in the cases with other devices. 
 

3. Safe! No need for conversion 

• In the RCT, none of the procedures with Trilogy required conversion to an alternative device, a time-consuming and potentially error-prone hassle in an already busy operation plan.

The clinical outcomes of the RCT speak for the these unique benefits:

• The research confirmed that Using Swiss LithoClast®️ Trilogy increases the chance of successful procedure: stone free rate reached 84%! 

Therefore, the need for secondary procedures was observed only in 17.6% of cases in which Swiss LithoClast® Trilogy was used, comparing to 40.8% of cases with the use of Olympus ShockPulse SE  (p = 0.005)
 

Conclusion

For standard PCNL - combination devices like Swiss LithoClast®️ Trilogy seem to be the best solution. 

Dr. Krambeck presented results of her study during SIU Annual World Virtual Congress 2020, session New Technologies in Stone Removal, on October 10, 2020. In case you missed it, you can access her presentation by clicking on the link: https://bit.ly/2PHE9Ba

The full study is available under this link.

Swiss LithoClast® Trilogy - Experience Lithotripsy like never before!