Flexible and Semi-Rigid Ureteroscopy Market Overview
The global flexible and semi-rigid ureteroscopy market is expected to witness considerable growth during the forecast period, due to swelling prevalence of kidney stone-related disorders, globally. Moreover, technological advancements taking place in flexible and semi-rigid ureteroscopes for the treatment of urolithiasis are also boosting the growth of the market.
In terms of product, the flexible and semi-rigid ureteroscopy market is bifurcated into flexible and semi-rigid ureteroscopes, where flexible ureteroscopes are expected to account for larger share in the coming years. This is due to the fact that flexible ureteroscopes have higher flexibility to tract and treat kidney stones in comparison to semi-rigid ureteroscopes. The flexible ureteroscopes market is further categorized into fiber-optic and digital ureteroscopes. Among these, digital ureteroscopes are expected to account for larger market share during the forecast period, owing to their higher efficacy and better image output in comparison to fiber-optic ureteroscopes.
Based on application, the market is categorized into urolithiasis, urinary stricture, and kidney cancer. During the forecast period, the usage of ureteroscopes is expected to be the highest for the treatment of urolithiasis, characterized by the increasing prevalence of kidney stones and widespread adoption of ureteroscopes over other treatment options for urolithiasis.
Hospitals and ASCs are the prime end users in the flexible and semi-rigid ureteroscopy market. Moreover, the ureteroscopes are also used in physician offices and academic institutions. During the historical period, hospitals as an end-user category generated the maximum revenue in the market, owing to the high prevalence of the renal diseases requiring advanced surgical technology.
Geographically, North America held the largest share in the flexible and semi-rigid ureteroscopy market in 2017, globally, followed by Europe. This is due to the increasing demand for ureteroscopes; vast presence of key established players, such as Stryker Corporation and Boston Scientific Corporation; developed reimbursement policies; and increasing prevalence of kidney related disorders. Whereas, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) market is expected to observe the fastest growth during the forecast period.
Flexible and Semi-Rigid Ureteroscopy Market Dynamics
Growth Drivers
Increasing prevalence of urolithiasis, urinary stricture, kidney cancer, and technological advancements like increasing adoption of single-use devices are some of the major factors fostering the growth of the flexible and semi-rigid ureteroscopy market. Also, adverse effects of lithotripsy procedures, growth in geriatric population, increasing healthcare expenditures, improvement in hospital infrastructure, and favorable healthcare reforms are the other factors leading to the growth of the market.
According to a research study done by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), kidney related disorders are expected to increase among people due to their unhealthy lifestyle in the coming years. As per the research, the number of kidney-stone patients are projected to reach a total of 18.7 million by 2023. Moreover, according to the Canadian Health Society, the number of kidney cancer patients are expected to increase in the coming years, owing to unhealthy lifestyle. It is expected that by 2020, the number of kidney cancer cases would increase by 52% in comparison to the number of cases in 2017. Thus, increasing number of these cases will boost demand for ureteroscopes.
Restraints
High cost of ureteroscopy procedures pose a high threat to the growth of the flexible and semi-rigid ureteroscopy market. Presence of other low-cost treatment procedures, such as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), and open surgery also restrains the market growth. Therefore, the high cost of ureteroscopy procedures is expected to limit the adoption of flexible and semi-rigid ureteroscopes to a certain extent and confine the market growth during the forecast period.
Opportunities
Due to the high cost of the ureteroscopes, the people in the emerging nations have been reluctant in using this treatment procedures. So, there are greater opportunities for the niche and emerging companies to developing low-cost ureteroscopes.
Flexible and Semi-Rigid Ureteroscopy Market – Competitive Landscape
Key players in the flexible and semi-rigid ureteroscopy industry are receiving government approvals for the introduction of new and advanced ureteroscopy methods. For instance, in January 2018, Gyrus ACMI USA initiated studies on ureteroscopes with secondary deflection method, leading to advancement in the method for fast and easy treatment procedures. The Elite ureteroscope of Gyrus ACMI, USA offers secondary deflection, which allows the surgeon to achieve a total deflection angle up to 270°. Favorable characteristics of the ureteroscope, such as wide range of deflection capabilities and ‘S’ shape allow the urologist to access any area of intra-renal collecting system.
Moreover, in May 2018, Olympus Corporation initiated study in Japan on ureteroscopes with the change in evolution tip, leading to the advancement in the treatment of ureteral cannulation.
Some of the other players in the flexible and semi-rigid ureteroscopy industry include Boston Scientific Corporation, Cardinal Health Inc., Biotronik SE & Co. KG, Richard Wolf Gmbh, Prosurg Inc., Vimex Endoscopy, and Rocamed.
The study provides historical as well the forecast market size data for various countries including the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Japan, China, India, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.
