The ureteral stent. Application

Sometimes, for various reasons, there may be a violation of the outflow of urine from the ureter. This can happen because of the displacement of stones from the kidneys, thickening of the blood, etc.

Appointment

The ureteral stent is designed to restore urine flow. It is an easily bendable tube that will need to be in the ureter. It serves to drain urine into the external environment past the bladder. The ureteral stent is installed in certain infectious diseases of the kidneys and in complex operations.

Device

The length of the stent reaches 30 cm with a tube diameter of up to 6 mm. To ensure that the urinary catheter is securely fixed, one of its ends is equipped with a spiral, which is otherwise called the "pig's tail". The device is installed with a cystoscope or ureteroscope. The ureteral stent is made of polyurethane or silicone. Its surface should be smooth, it should not be exposed to urine, not covered with salts. Silicone proved to be the most resistant to fracture and salt incrustation, but due to its high flexibility the tube is difficult to fix and hold in the required position. To reduce the reactivity of the stent, it is treated with a hydrogel coating. This increases the service life of the device.

Complications after stent installation procedure

Patients complain of dysuria, frequent urination, involuntary urge to urinate, nocturia. These phenomena are observed more often immediately after the installation of the catheter, sometimes very strongly pronounced. To avoid removal of the stent, antispasmodics are prescribed. The decrease in the intensity of symptoms is observed after several days. Sometimes patients complain of pain in the side and abdomen. The cause of pain in the side is urine reflux when urinating. The established ureteral stent sometimes causes infectious inflammation of the urinary tract. To prevent complications, antibiotics are prescribed, although it is undesirable to use them for a long time, since resistant microorganisms can develop.

Proximal migration is a serious complication arising from the installation of a very short stent with a non-optimal swirl of the distal end or when the upper cup of the kidney is injured by the proximal end. When the stent is in the ureter for a long time, fragmentation may occur. The ureteral fragmented stent is to be removed, which is performed by ureteroscopy, cystoscopy or through the skin.

Application

The ureteral stent is used for stenting the ureter in the presence of obstruction of the renal system, i.e. If there is a problem with the outflow of urine from the kidneys. The reasons can be different - urological, neurological and iatrogenic. Urologic can include urolithiasis, neoplasms in the ureter, prostate or bladder, prostate adenoma, retroperitoneal fibrosis. Obstruction, which does not belong to the field of urology - compression and germination in the ureters of tumors of other localization, various lymphomas and lymphadenopathies. Iatrogenic causes are adhesive processes after operations that were performed on the pelvic organs, as well as after radiation therapy.