Antegrade double-J stenting as an alternative to the retrograde approach: experience of the first 150 cases at a single center in Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To present our clinical experience with percutaneous antegrade ureteral stenting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective study in which we reviewed the electronic medical records of patients who underwent percutaneous image-guided antegrade ureteral stenting between January 2016 and August 2020. We evaluated 90 patients (48 men). The mean age was 61.4 ± 15 years (range, 30-94 years). Patients were divided into two main groups: those with malignant neoplasms; and those with non-neoplastic disease. Technical and clinical success of the procedure were defined, respectively, as maintenance of the patency of the urinary tract, with a reduction in the degree of hydronephrosis, and as a reduction in the level of nitrogenous waste. Postprocedural complications were categorized as major or minor according to the CIRSE classification. RESULTS: The study sample comprised 150 antegrade stenting procedures performed in 90 patients, most of whom had previously undergone retrograde stenting that was unsuccessful. The stenting was bilateral in 60 patients and unilateral in 30. Technical success was achieved in 143 (95.3%) of the procedures, whereas seven procedures (4.6%) were unsuccessful. Failed procedures were characterized by inability to place a stent or migration of a stent after its placement. Complications occurred in 12 (8.0%) of the procedures. Of those 12 complications, two were classified as major (bleeding) and 10 were classified as minor (lumbar pain or infection). The most common techniques used were the over-the-wire technique and the modified technique (in 58.0% and 42.0% of the cases, respectively). In seven cases (4.7%), a nephrostomy tube was inserted. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous antegrade ureteral stenting is a safe, effective method for the management of ureteral injuries and obstructions, due to malignant or benign causes, when the retrograde approach has failed.