Transurethral Retrograde Fishing the Double J Urethral Stent: A Tertiary Children Hospital's Experience With a New Technical Strategy

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to provide a new strategy for non-cystoscopic double J urethral stent (JJS) removal, the transurethral retrograde fishing the double J urethral stent (TURFJJS), that avoids general anesthesia in pediatric populations. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the JJS removal records of patients having ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO). We analyzed differences in the removal success rates, operation-related severe complications, total cost, duration, and parental satisfaction between TURFJJS and traditional cystoscopic double J urethral stent removal (CJJSR) procedures. RESULTS: A total of 324 patients with UPJO were included in this study. CJJSR yielded a success rate of 100%. TURFJJS achieved a success rate of 94.3%. The TURFJJS was just an outpatient procedure, and its total cost was about 800 Chinese yuan (US$ 124). There were no severe JJS removal-related complications using TURFJJS. Parental satisfaction was 98.2 and 92.5% for the CJJSR and TURFJJS protocols, respectively. CONCLUSION: TURFJJS is safe, effective, cost-effective, and well-tolerated in pediatric patients, minimizing or eliminating the need for general anesthesia, additional hospitalization, and waste of time. TURFJJS should be widely used in pediatric urology.