Re: Is a Safety Wire Necessary During Routine Flexible Ureteroscopy? ( Citation: Dickstein RJ,Kreshover JE,Babayan RK,Wang DS. J Endourol 2010;24:1589–1592.)

Dear Editor:

W e agree with Dickstein and associates when they assume that a safety wire is not necessary during routine flexible ureteroscopy.

But, just as a safety belt or an insurance policy is not necessary in daily life until you have an accident, or just as a prenuptial agreement is not necessary until you plan to divorce, perhaps one day one could regret not to have placed a safety wire before an ureteroscopy. The reasons?

Because bleeding, contrast media extravasation, anatomic challenges, or residents' practice could make a routine ureteroscopy become a complicated one.

Because it is not so time consuming and allows placement of an ureteral access sheath or a stent at the end of the procedure.

So, we advocate for the routine use of a safety wire, even it is not always “necessary.”