Boston Scientific Issues New Device For Urinary Stone Removal

Boston Scientific Corp. is releasing its new BackStop Gel product. BackStop is designed to prevent stone migration during procedures used to break and extract urinary stones.

The gel, made from a water-soluble polymer, is injected into the urinary duct to create a barrier behind the stone. It is placed with a catheter that is then removed so as not to impede the surgeon during the operation. After the stone removal process is over, the gel dissolves with conventional irrigation. Previous generations of products designed to perform the same function shared the characteristic of having mechanical components, and therefore were susceptible to damage by the tools used to fragment the urinary stones. By nature, the gel will not present the same issue. Officials at the Natick. Mass.-based device firm also claim that BackStop will shorten the length of time needed to perform the stone removal procedure.

Dianne Sacco, M.D., director of the Kidney Stone Program, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston agrees with the claims of the company having used the product herself: “I have found that using BackStop Gel in the ureter helps prevent the migration of stones and increases the success rate of stone removal,” she said. “This product provides a non-traumatic plug, which enhances the use of lithotripsy devices to successfully fragment and retrieve stones.”

BackStop Gel can be ordered with either a 3f or 5f catheter, both of which are disposable. Reusable components are the BackStop injector and replacement sleeve.