Market Challenges And Opportunities

Urolithiasis is the most frequent and common urological disease, which involves stone formation in the kidney, bladder, and urinary tract. The reasons behind stone development in above mentioned areas are mainly associated with decreased urine volume and increased excretion of stone-forming substances such as oxalate, calcium, cysteine, urate, phosphate, and xanthine. Kidney stones can be treated effectively, due to presence of advanced methods and associated medical devices. According to the American Urologic Association (AUA), direct and associated treatment cost related to kidney stone diagnosis and management has increased over the past few years. Despite recent advancements in therapeutic and surgical treatment techniques, the overall health care expenditure for the kidney stone disease management has increased. According to National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), the cost for medical management of kidney stones is expected to reach to US$ 1.24 Bn annually in the U.S. by 2030. Cost containment for the patients has been made possible by technological development in terms of shorter duration hospital stays and more minimally invasive surgical procedures.

Technological advancement in the surgical procedures requiring minimal invasion is expected to boost the growth of the kidney stone management devices market

Advancements in the surgical procedures to treat kidney stones such as Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL), Ureteroscopy, and Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy have simplified the surgical procedures over the years. Advent of high resolution imaging devices, increased availability of flexible ureteroscopes and lithotripsy devices, and decreased invasiveness of the procedures have helped to favorably shape the kidney stone management devices market. Smaller and more flexible ureteroscopes namely LithoVue and effective stone retrieval devices have been made available by the industry players to increase the efficacy of the surgical procedures. These cost-effective techniques have allowed faster recovery with few treatment cycles requiring minimal sedation. Ureteroscopy is being preferred more currently, owing to advantages, such as immediate stone removal and low risk of complications, especially in treatment of symptomatic stones located in pelvic kidneys, where this technique excels over the other two. Increasing reimbursement support from government and private sources for medical devices such as separate reimbursements for physician payment, hospital outpatient, and hospital inpatient by Medicare as well as implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the U.S. has been a major growth factor for the kidney stone management devices market.