Comparison of lighted ureteral catheter luminance for laparoscopy

Urologists may be asked to place a lighted ureteral catheter for laparoscopic surgeons. Presumably, the lighted ureteral catheter with the greatest luminance will provide the best visual roadmap to the ureter during laparoscopy. The purpose of this article was to compare the luminance of three lighted ureteral catheters and characterize technical characteristics so that urologists could select the lighted ureteral catheter most appropriate for laparoscopy. Four lighted ureteral catheters were evaluated: Cook 5F single lumen, Cook 5F double lumen, Cook 7F, and Rüsch 5F. Each catheter was attached to a standard fiber-optic light source at maximum output. Each catheter was placed in a porcine ureter. Luminance was measured with a photometer in a dark room. Luminance was characterized at catheter locations corresponding to the proximal, middle, and distal ureter. The luminance measured in foot-Lamberts (fL) in the middle ureter for each catheter was as follows: Cook 5F single lumen 98+/-47, Cook 5F double lumen 42+/-14, Cook 7F 98+/-11, Rüsch 5F 58+/-45 (p=.01). The luminance (fL) in the distal ureter for each catheter was: Cook 5F single lumen 129+/-40, Cook 5F double lumen 110+/-108, Cook 7F 22+/-2, Rüsch 5F 49+/-30 (p=.02). The luminance was not significantly different among the catheters when measured in the proximal ureter. The Cook 5F single-lumen ureteral catheter overall has the greatest luminance. This catheter should be easiest to identify at laparoscopy.