title: Morbidity and impact on quality of life in patients with indwelling ureteral stents: A 10-year clinical experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prospective analysis of the prevalence of symptoms, tolerability and complications associated with ureteral stents and their impact on quality of life based on the Flanagan Quality of Life Scale and a not-validated questionnaire from our clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 2200 adult patient participated to this study in a period of 10 years (2003-2012). Those patients were asked to complete the QOLS and a not-validated questionnaire from our clinic, before ureteral indwelling, 7 day after ureteral indwelling and 14 days after removal of the stent.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total 1520 patient aged between 18 and 84 years completed the study. The analysis of data showed that the unpleasant symptoms caused by stent were encountered more frequently at 7 days after stent insertion, in terms of urinary frequency, dysuria, urgency and macroscopic haematuria, this difference being statistically significant (p<0.05). After analysis the responses to QOLS questionnaire, at 7 days after stent placement, mean scores show a clear reduction in the QoL of those patients, in all cases the standard deviation being at a great value, indicating a high variability of responses, but at 14 days after its suppression of stent the average scores are somewhat closer to the baseline.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study brings many elements that shows a statistically significant increase in the incidence of numerous side effects and impaired quality of life. It contributes to existing data from the literature as regards the knowledge of the pathology determined by the presence of foreign body in the urinary tract and in providing patient counseling.
authors.affiliation: Ioan Scarneciu, MD, PhD, Clinic of Urology, Emergency Clinical County Hospital from Brasov, 25-27 CaleaBucuresti Street, 500326, Brasov, Romania. Faculty of Medicine, Transilvania University from Brasov, 29 Eroilor Boulevard, 500036, Brasov, Romania.
authors.forename: Ioan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Scarneciu
authors.affiliation: Sorin Lupu, MD, PhD, FECSM, Faculty of Psychology, SpiruHaret University from Brasov, 7 Turnului Street, 500152, Brasov, Romania. Clinic of Urology, Emergency Clinical County Hospital from Brasov, 25-27 CaleaBucuresti Street, 500326, Brasov, Romania.
authors.forename: Sorin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lupu
authors.affiliation: Catalin Pricop, MD, PhD, Grigore. T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 University Street, 700115, Iasi, Romania.
authors.forename: Catalin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pricop
authors.affiliation: Camelia Scarneciu, MD, PhD, Faculty of Medicine, Transilvania University from Brasov, 29 Eroilor Boulevard, 500036, Brasov, Romania.
authors.forename: Camelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scarneciu
keywords: Complications; Quality of life; Tolerability; Ureteral stents