Fluoroscopy-guided transurethral removal and exchange of ureteral stents in female patients: technical notes.
OBJECTIVE
To describe simple and safe techniques for transurethral removal and for exchange of ureteral stents in female patients under fluoroscopic guidance.


METHODS
During a period of 33 months, the authors removed 4 and exchanged 34 double-J ureteral stents in 17 female patients. Four techniques were implemented to remove or exchange these stents: simple snare technique, modified snare technique, guide-wire lasso technique, and direct grasping technique.


RESULTS
All stents were either exchanged or removed successfully. The average time elapsed per procedure was 21.5 minutes. Simple snare techniques were used with 19 (50%) stents, and modified snare techniques were used with 13 (34%) stents where grasping the tip of a stent was not possible with the snare alone. Lasso and direct grasping techniques were each used with three (8%) stents. Self-limited microscopic hematuria was observed in all subjects after the procedure, but none reported gross hematuria.


CONCLUSIONS
Fluoroscopy-guided transurethral removal and exchange of ureteral stents is a safe and effective procedure, and it can be considered as an alternative to cystoscopic removal and exchange.
Park
Sang Woo
SW
Deparment of Radiology, Konkuk University Hospital, Konkuk University, School of Medicine, 4-12 Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, 143-729 Seoul, Republic of Korea. psw0224@kuh.ac.kr
Cha
In Ho
IH
Hong
Suk Joo
SJ
Yi
Jeong Geun
JG
Jeon
Hae Jeong
HJ
Park
Jeong Hee
JH
Park
Sang Joon
SJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D020878:Device Removal / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005471:Fluoroscopy; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015607:Stents; D014513:Ureter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014517:Ureteral Obstruction / Q000628:therapy; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000628:therapy