Ureteric guidewire damage by Holmium:YAG laser: preliminary results.

Typically, guidewires are regularly used to provide access or act as a guide during laser lithotripsy. This may result in the tip of the fibre being in close proximity to the guidewire during the firing period and consequently, this could result in accidental damage to the guidewires during the procedure. To replicate this scenario, an experimental model was designed enabling accurate and reproducible positioning of the laser fibre relative to the guidewire. The guidewire was exposed to the laser energy for a range of typical settings used in the clinic. The results demonstrate that the guidewire is susceptible to laser energy damage, especially in close proximity to the fibre.