Effects of prophylactic insertion of Double-J stents to decrease episodes of renal colic in patients with recurrent ureteral stones.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the hypothesis that prophylactic insertion of Double-J stents after uncomplicated transurethral lithotripsy (TUL) can decrease the number of episodes of renal colic and their intensity in patients with recurrent ureteral stones (those with three or more episodes of stone formation).


METHODS
During a prospective randomized clinical trial from May 1999 to January 2004, 195 patients with recurrent ureteral stones were included in our study; 94 had stents in place for 4 weeks, and 101 patients remained stentless (control group). A few patients in each group had residual stone disease. All patients were followed-up for a mean period of 24 months and questioned about the number and intensity of their episodes of renal colic, and were also evaluated for their rates of spontaneous stone passage.


RESULTS
Spontaneous passage of stones was seen in 43 patients (45.7%; CI 95%, 35.7, 55.8) who underwent stenting, and 35 patients (34.7%; CI 95%, 25.4, 43.9) in the stentless group (P > 0.05). The number of episodes of renal colic was significantly lower in the stented group (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Insertion of Double-J stents for 4 weeks after uncomplicated TUL in patients with recurrent ureteral stones significantly decreases the number of episodes of ureteral colic, although it does not decrease the rate of stone formation.
Aghamir
Seyed Mohammad Kazem
SM
Department of Urology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammadi
Abdolreza
A
Farahmand
Hasan
H
Meysamie
Ali Pasha
AP
D000328:Adult; D003085:Colic / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008096:Lithotripsy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D015607:Stents; D014514:Ureteral Calculi / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*