What To Expect After Ureteral Stent Removal

What is a ureteral stent?

Ureteral stents are small tubes inserted into the ureter to care for or preclude a blockage that prevents the menses of urine from the kidney to the bladder. The most common reason for ureteral stents is the treatment of kidney stones. Beneath are the answers to some of the questions we receive about ureteral stents.

What is a ureter?

A ureter is the tube-like structure that transports the urine from the kidney to the urinary float.
Ureters run vertically (up and down) in the mid-part of the belly. Typically there is one ureter for each kidney. Some people are born with 2 ureters to one kidney or 2 ureters to both kidneys. This is called duplication.

What is a stent?

A stent is a small hollow tube that is placed into the ureter. Information technology's flexible and approximately 10 inches in length.

When placed in the ureter, the peak portion of the stent has a small coil that sits in the kidney and the opposite ends curls in the bladder.

Stents may have a string on the end that is visible outside the torso. Not all stents have a visible string.

Why are ureteral stents placed?

A ureteral stent is placed to allow urine to flow from the kidney to the bladder when the normal flow is blocked. Information technology may also be placed to prevent blockage.

What can crusade a blocked ureteral tube?

Kidney stones are the virtually common reason for placing a ureteral stent. Other reasons include stricture (abnormal narrowing of the ureter), and outside forces such as a tumor pushing on the ureter and causing a blockage.

Inflamed, swollen, or damaged ureteral tubes in demand of healing may have a stent placed to go along the kidney draining during the healing process.

What symptoms tin can be acquired past a stent?

Normal symptoms you may feel when a stent is in place include:

Claret in urine – Tin can range from light pink tinged urine, to a darker color similar to carmine wine.
Dysuria (burning with urination) – this can exist balmy to moderate. Dysuria can usually be relieved past increasing fluid intake and abstention of certain drinks, food, and some medications.
Urgency – the feeling/sensation you lot become when you lot accept to go
Frequency – going to the restroom more than ofttimes than normal. Frequency can range from every few minutes, to in one case an hr. Frequency will increase when increasing fluid intake.
Spasms of the ureter or bladder. A cramping-like awareness in the mid to low abdomen, often described as feeling like a musculus balk

Some symptoms are not normal with a stent in identify, and you should run across your doctor. These include:

Constant dark encarmine urine that does not ease up with increased fluid intake.
Thick clots or tissue in the urine that is causing any difficulty urinating
Urinary retentiveness, meaning you are unable to urinate at all. Modest dribbles of urine with an increasing discomfort in your lower belly can advise the offset of retentivity, and you should notify your doctor.
Astringent pain of any kind not relieved with any medications, either over-the-counter or prescription medication.
Persistent fever over 101.viii °

Can I piece of work with a ureteral stent?

Yes, you tin can go on your normal activities with a stent in place. Though there may exist some physical discomfort, a stent will not physically limit you.

Lifting, or reaching your hands in a higher place your head repeatedly may cause haemorrhage, or worsening bleeding that may already exist nowadays. This is related to increased irritation of the stent on your bladder.

How long am I going to have the stent in identify?

The length of time the stent will remain inside your ureter depends on the reason it was placed. They should only be removed in the timeframe recommended by your doctor, not any sooner or later.

Pre-stone treatment – usually a week or 2 prior to surgery
Post- stone treatment
- After a elementary ureteroscopy where the stone and whatsoever fragments were removed: 2-3 days
- Subsequently Lithotripsy (sound wave therapy to break stones upwardly): vii-xiv days.
Due to an exterior forcefulness putting pressure on the ureter past a tumor or other growth:
- Upwards to three months, and depending on if the growth will be removed, a stent can exist left in identify for years. Notwithstanding, stents must be inverse on a regular footing of every 3-four months.
Due to a stricture, or narrow ureter:
- This will depend on the treatment planned by you and your medico and can vary.

How is the stent removed?

If the string is visible exterior the body, information technology can be simply removed in role without the employ of whatever procedures or specialty equipment. This is used for short term stents (needed for 1 week or less). A nurse practitioner can do this in the office within days of your surgery.

Ureteral stents that do not have a visible cord, or were placed to allow a longer healing period, will require a minor in-office process.

A pocket-size, flexible telescopic chosen a cystoscope is placed into the urethra that allows the doctor to visualize the stent from within the bladder. Then, the medico grasps the stent with tiny clamps attached to the scope and removes the stent.

A dr. must practice this procedure, and it must be scheduled ahead of fourth dimension. An X-ray may be required prior to removing the stent to ensure no large rock fragments are visible. Big fragments that haven't passed may require additional procedures. In these cases, the stent would remain in place.

Can I take out the Stent myself?

You should never attempt to remove a stent on your ain, as more damage may be done than y'all might assume. This tin include:

Kidney, ureter, bladder damage or infection
Astringent hurting
Urinary retentiveness
Re-blockage of ureter with rock fragments not removed in original process leading to astringent pain that volition require another hospital/ER visit to replace stent