Challenges To Attenuate Ureteric Stent-Related Symptoms: Reflections On The Need To Fashion A New Dynamic Stent Design Consequent Upon A Case Report

Double-pigtail stent has been widely used in urology for half a century now, but this device reduces the patient’s quality of life. Moreover, indwelling stent-related symptoms induce additional suffering to the pre-existing bladder disease. Novel concepts to prevent stent-related symptoms are greatly required. It has been suggested that changes in the size, form and stent positioning could ease discomfort. By decreasing the amount of material within the bladder, it should be possible to attenuate the stent-related symptoms. A customized stent has been developed to alleviate bladder symptoms. The major characteristic of this stent was in the replacement of the bladder part of the double-pigtail stent by a nonrefluxing silicone end-piece. Three months after stenting, the patient complained of sudden discomfort in the bladder area. On the X-ray, the end-pieces of the customized stents seemed to have slipped in the bladder. The customized stents were replaced by new ones after truncating and adjusting their lengths to the exact ureteric length and stent-related symptoms were then improved again. In the field of stent-related symptoms, stent mobility needs more attention than its intravesical position. The case hereby reported illustrates the variations of the symptoms which seem related to the stent mobility, the necessary shaping of the stent and, the possible research avenues for an innovative dynamic ureteric stent.