dormia

Dormia is a term most commonly associated with the Dormia basket, a medical device used to retrieve stones from the urinary and biliary tracts during endoscopic procedures. The basket is named after a Dutch physician who developed the device. It consists of a flexible wire basket that can be passed through a cystoscope or ureteroscope to the location of a stone. When opened, the basket surrounds the stone; it is then closed and withdrawn into a sheath, carrying the stone out of the body.

The Dormia basket is used in urology for ureteral and renal stones and in gastroenterology for biliary stones during ERCP. It is valued for its ability to capture irregularly shaped stones and to minimize fragmentation in certain cases. Its use requires careful maneuvering to avoid mucosal injury and to prevent stone migration or basket entrapment. Limitations include difficulty with very large or hard stones and the potential for complications such as mucosal trauma.

Over time, newer retrieval devices and lithotripsy methods have expanded the options available to clinicians. Nevertheless, the Dormia basket remains a foundational instrument in endourology and biliary endoscopy, reflecting its historical importance in minimally invasive stone management. Etymology-wise, the term derives from the inventor’s surname. See also: endoscopic basket, stone retrieval, ureteroscopy, ERCP.