@Article{cju.2026.083533,
AUTHOR = {Andrea Rubinacci, Luigi De Luca, Ugo Amicuzi, Pasquale Reccia, Luigi Napolitano, Simone Tammaro, Marco Stizzo, Dario Del Biondo, Marco De Sio, Ciro Imbimbo, Felice Crocetto, Celeste Manfredi, Biagio Barone},
TITLE = {Ergonomic strain during retrograde intrarenal surgery: a prospective observational study},
JOURNAL = {Canadian Journal of Urology},
VOLUME = {},
YEAR = {},
NUMBER = {},
PAGES = {{pages}},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/CJU/online/detail/27390},
ISSN = {1488-5581},
ABSTRACT = { <b>Background:</b> Despite its minimally invasive profile for patients, retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) may impose a considerable physical burden on the operating surgeon. This study aimed to evaluate the ergonomic impact of RIRS by characterizing the distribution and severity of musculoskeletal discomfort. <b>Methods:</b> This observational study included 42 consecutive RIRS procedures performed between January and December 2023 at a high-volume endourology center. Surgeon-reported discomfort was collected immediately after each procedure using an adapted assessment form based on the Italian version of the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ-I). Discomfort severity was graded across 10 predefined anatomical regions using a 5-point ordinal scale. Continuous variables were summarized as mean ± standard deviation, and exploratory associations between discomfort scores and operative variables were assessed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and the Mann–Whitney U test. <b>Results:</b> Musculoskeletal discomfort was frequently reported across multiple anatomical regions. The neck was the most affected site (3.7 ± 0.9), with at least moderate symptoms in 83.3% of procedures, followed by the lower back (3.5 ± 1.1; 73.8%) and shoulders (3.3 ± 0.8; 71.4%). Wrist/hand discomfort was also common (3.1 ± 0.8; 61.9%). Procedure duration was positively correlated with lower back (<i>ρ</i> = 0.54, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) and neck discomfort (<i>ρ</i> = 0.46, <i>p</i> = 0.002), while fluoroscopy time correlated with wrist/hand discomfort (<i>ρ</i> = 0.48, <i>p</i> = 0.001). Procedures exceeding 90 min were associated with higher lower back discomfort (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). <b>Conclusions:</b> RIRS is associated with frequent surgeon musculoskeletal discomfort, predominantly affecting axial regions, supporting the need for ergonomic optimization in clinical practice.},
DOI = {10.32604/cju.2026.083533}
}