Initial experience with full-length metal stent to relieve malignant ureteral obstruction.
Ureteral obstruction caused by extrinsic compression by a malignancy generally can be overcome initially with a ureteral stent. However, the long-term failure rate is high, usually necessitating placement of a nephrostomy tube. Herein, we present the initial case, in this country, of intractable ureteral obstruction managed successfully with the newly developed all-metal Resonance stent (Cook Ireland Ltd., Limerick, Ireland) constructed of MP35N alloy, a composite of nonmagnetic nickel-cobalt-chromium-molybdenum. The patient is a 64-year-old woman with metastatic breast cancer causing retroperitoneal fibrosis and ureteral obstruction diagnosed laparoscopically. The obstruction failed to respond to placement of a single 7F double-J stent and then of two 6F double-J stents in the left ureter. As a last resort, in order to avoid nephrostomy-tube placement, the 6F metal stent was placed; this provided unobstructed flow of urine, as documented on a subsequent Whitaker test and, most recently, on a renal scan, 4 months after initial stent placement.
Borin
James F
JF
Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orange, 92612, USA.
Melamud
Ori
O
Clayman
Ralph V
RV
D000497:Alloys; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008875:Middle Aged; D012185:Retroperitoneal Fibrosis / Q000150:complications; D015607:Stents; D014513:Ureter; D014516:Ureteral Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000556:secondary*; D014517:Ureteral Obstruction / Q000601:surgery*
D000497:Alloys; C035402:MP35N alloy