Disposable Cystoscope Targets Bladder and Urethra

A novel single-use cystoscope enables physicians to perform interventional and diagnostic urologic procedures without reprocessing.

The UroViu (Bellevue, WA, USA) Uro-G is a handheld, battery-operated portable cystoscope consisting of a disposable steerable endoscopic cannula and a reusable handle with a video monitor. The Uro-G provides physicians with the ability to change the angle of the cannula’s tip via a deflection control lever on the proximal portion of the cannula intraoperatively, thus improving ease of use. Users can monitor the deflection with continual imaging so that structures can either be avoided, or targeted directly, if that was the purpose of the procedure.

The disposable cannula contains a miniature CMOS camera and a light-emitting diode (LED) illumination module at its tip, as well as one channel for infusion of irrigating fluid. The lightweight, reusable handle has a connector and locking mechanism for attaching and detaching of disposable cannulas. It also contains the remaining electronics, a button to adjust the brightness of the LED light, a button to allow capture of single images or video recording of the procedure, a video processor, a LCD display unit, a rechargeable battery, management electronics, microcontrollers, and firmware.

“Early adopters of UroViu's pioneering technology will value the practicality of this safe, user-friendly and effective option, both for practice and patients,” said Jed Kaminetsky, MD, of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine (NY, USA). “In particular, we find the off-the-shelf availability of Uro-G to be extremely efficient and convenient in performing outpatient diagnostic procedures and stent removals.”

Standard flexible or rigid cystoscopes have been turned into the bottleneck of urology practices because they are bulky, require a dedicated procedure room and long setup time, have a downtime as they need to be sterilized and reprocessed between patients, and are very expensive to own, maintain, and repair. Since high-level disinfection is not considered adequate for reprocessing, formal sterilization is expected to be required following each use in the very near future.

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