title: Is intravesical stent position a predictor of associated morbidity?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Temporary drainage of the upper urinary tract by use of internal ureteral stents is a common procedure that is often associated with a variety of symptoms. The role of intravesical stent position in associated morbidity is controversial.
  
  
  METHODS
  The German version of the ureteral stent symptom questionnaire (USSQ) was completed by 73 patients with an indwelling ureteral stent the day before stent removal. Intravesical stent position was classified into 3 categories by x-ray before stent removal. The influence of intravesical stent position on USSQ score was analyzed, including subscores and single items.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intravesical stent position showed no significant influence on associated morbidity. The median USSQ total score in all patients was 77.5 (range, 30-147). Patients with ipsilateral stents (69.0; range, 30-122) tended to have lower total scores than did those with tangential (86.5; range, 30-122) or contralateral (77.0; range, 31-147) stents, but the differences were not statistically significant (p=0.35). The USSQ subscores for urinary symptoms (p=0.80), body pain (p=0.80), general health (p=0.16), work performance (p=0.07), additional problems (p=0.81), and all of the USSQ single items of interest in the context of stent length also did not differ significantly between the three groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intravesical stent position did not significantly influence associated morbidity in our study. An appropriate stent length should be chosen to avoid dislocation. However, complex calculations of optimum stent length, time-consuming manipulations, and costly stock holding of various stent sizes to obtain the perfect stent position do not seem worthwhile.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, St. Gallen Cantonal Hospital, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Abt
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, St. Gallen Cantonal Hospital, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Livio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mordasini
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, St. Gallen Cantonal Hospital, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Warzinek
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, St. Gallen Cantonal Hospital, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Hans-Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.affiliation: Clinical Trials Unit, St. Gallen Cantonal Hospital, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sarah Roberta
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Haile
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, St. Gallen Cantonal Hospital, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Daniel Stephan
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Engeler
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, St. Gallen Cantonal Hospital, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Gautier
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Müllhaupt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D059411:Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D010146:Pain; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D011859:Radiography; D015607:Stents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014513:Ureter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Morbidity; Pain; Questionnaires; Stents; Ureter