Introduction: Currently, stone size cannot be accurately measured while performing flexible ureteroscopy (URS). We developed novel software for ureteroscopic, stone size measurement, and then evaluated its performance.
Methods: A novel application capable of measuring stone fragment size, based on the known distance of the basket tip in the ureteroscope's visual field, was designed and calibrated in a laboratory setting. Complete URS procedures were recorded and 30 stone fragments were extracted and measured using digital calipers. The novel software program was applied to the recorded URS footage to obtain ureteroscope-derived stone size measurements. These ureteroscope-derived measurements were then compared with the actual-measured fragment size.
Results: The median longitudinal and transversal errors were 0.14 mm (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.1, 0.18) and 0.09 mm (95% CI 0.02, 0.15), respectively. The overall software accuracy and precision were 0.17 and 0.15 mm, respectively. The longitudinal and transversal measurements obtained by the software and digital calipers were highly correlated (r = 0.97 and 0.93). Neither stone size nor stone type was correlated with error measurements.
Conclusions: This novel method and software reliably measured stone fragment size during URS. The software ultimately has the potential to make URS safer and more efficient.
Keywords: flexible ureteroscopy; nephrolithiasis; stone measurement.