A urinary stent is the placement of a small hollow flexible tube into the ureter by

uretoscopy. This is normally done under general anesthesia. The stent is designed to
remain in place by having both ends coiled. Placement is checked by an X-ray.
Stents allows dilation and aids in the passage of stones. A foley catheter may also
be placed to pass the stone through the urethra.
Patient may feel burning while passing urine, this is normal and should pass with
time. Some bleeding may occur, increasing fluids should be advised. A follow up
appointment will be necessary. A doctor should be notified if the patient is unable
to pass urine, large blood clots in urine, severe pain, red or bloody urine after 3
days, and/or a fever is present.
In this article approximately 78% of patients who received stent placement
experienced urinary tract irritation, 80% experienced pain, and 32% experienced
sexual dysfunction. Removal of ureteral stents usually is done through cystoscopy
which adds to medical costs. Study showed that stent placement with access sheath
was beneficial when other methods used had caused a ureteral avulsion/perforation
to aid with healing.
I chose this topic because I recently had a neighbor who had a stent placed to aid in
passing of kidney stones after receiving extracorporeal shock wave lithostripsy. A
topic I was not familiar with. I feel this information can help in educating the
patients and their anxiety informing them of what to expect, what will be done, and
the normal side effects versus the need to contact a doctor.
http://www.europeanurology.com/article/S0302-2838%2812%29000115/fulltext/contemporary-management-of-ureteral-stones
http://www.bui.ac.uk/PatientInfo/ureterstent.html
http://www.uwhealth.org/healthfacts/genitourinary/6637.html