Reprocessing Effectiveness for Flexible Ureteroscopes: A Critical Look at the Evidence

Flexible ureteroscopes are essential devices, and reusable models require meticulous cleaning and sterilization between procedures. Reprocessing is complex, time-consuming, and difficult due to the instrument's small size, fragility, and internal channel. The Food and Drug Administration recently raised concerns about the effectiveness of ureteroscope reprocessing. Due to inadequate reprocessing and maintenance, contaminated and damaged ureteroscopes pose risks to patient safety. This review describes ureteroscope reprocessing methods and summarizes evidence on reprocessing effectiveness and documented outcomes associated with the use of damaged or inadequately cleaned and sterilized ureteroscopes.