Dr. Chew and Dr. Bhojani on knowledge gaps related to intrarenal pressure

In this video, Ben H. Chew, MD, MSc, FRCSC, and Naeem Bhojani, MD, FRCSC, discuss unmet need in the understanding of intrarenal pressure based on the analysis, “Complication Risk of Endourological Procedures: The Role of Intrarenal Pressure.” Chew is a urologist at the University of British Columbia and Bhojani is an associate professor of urology at the University of Montreal.

Video Transcript:

Chew: Measuring intrarenal pressure beforehand was very cumbersome. You would need either a nephrostomy tube or to have extra instruments up the ureter to measure the pressure. Those are meant for vascular and cardiac surgery. The nephrostomy tubes [weren’t] really available in every case. And I think now, with our new instruments, we're able to measure it in every case. I think we're going to need just a lot more data. These numbers we've given here in this publication are based on history and as well based on a lot of preclinical [studies], which of course, is interesting, but also limited. The fact you can change each of the conditions because it's a preclinical study is good, but it may not translate completely to each of the cases that we're doing. But I certainly think that being able to measure it in every case now with these ureteroscopes will be very, very enlightening.

Bhojani: Yeah, I agree completely with Ben. That's why we're currently doing a multicenter, prospective study using the new Boston Scientific scope to measure intrarenal pressure for every ureteroscopy that we perform, again, to get more data and to be able to identify these patients earlier, before they get septic.

Chew: We're looking at outcomes of infection and sepsis, as well as looking at patient reported outcomes. How did they feel afterwards? Our theory and hypothesis, and we've always thought this, but we'd like to prove it, is that if people have higher intrarenal pressures, they might have more pain afterwards. We're trying to keep the pressure as low as possible to try and reduce those 2 types of complications.

This transcription has been edited for clarity.