Presented by: Catarina Laranjo Tinoco
Hospital de Braga

Introduction

Ureteral catheterization is commonly employed after ureterorenoscopy (URS) procedures, even in uncomplicated procedures. Our aim was to compare the two most frequent ureteral catheters used in our centre in terms of safety.

Materials

We conducted a prospective randomized unblinded study involving patients who underwent flexible URS for renal stones between July 2022 and May 2023. Exclusion criteria included ureteral stones, urinary malformations, active urothelial neoplasia, and prior reconstructive surgery. The catheters used were single-J stents (removed the morning after the surgery, <24h) and double-J stents (extracted in a subsequent appointment). The main outcomes were emergency department admission, postoperative complications (assessed within 30 days) and reintervention rate.

Results

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Ninety-seven patients were included, with 50 in the single-J group (Group J) and 47 in the double-J group (Group JJ). Baseline characteristics did not differ between groups (Table 1). Double-J stents were removed after a median of 28 days (IQR 21-36). No intraoperative complications were reported. There were no statistically significant differences in emergency department admission between the groups (22% in Group J vs 12.8% in Group JJ, p=0.232) nor in total complications (12% vs 10.6%, p=0.833). Only one patient in each group experienced a complication above Grade III according to the Clavien-Dindo Classification and required reintervention, without statistically significant differences between stent type (2% vs 2.1%, p=0.737) – an obstructive pyelonephritis requiring stenting in Group J and an incrusted stent requiring endourological treatment in Group JJ.

Conclusion

Single-J stents did not associate with statistical differences in post-operative complications, rehospitalization or reintervention. Therefore, they seem a viable alternative for complete flexible URS, reducing hospital visits for stent removal and the associated complications like stent-related symptoms related and forgotten stents.

Funding

None

Co-Authors

Andreia Cardoso,
Hospital de Braga

Ricardo Rodrigues,
Hospital de Braga

Ana Sofia Araújo,
Hospital de Braga

Mariana Capinha,
Hospital de Braga

Luís Pinto,
Hospital de Braga

Sara Anacleto,
Hospital de Braga

Jorge Ribeiro,
Hospital de Braga

Carlos Oliveira,
Hospital de Braga

Emanuel Carvalho-Dias,
Hospital de Braga

Miguel Mendes,
Hospital de Braga

Vera Marques,
Hospital de Braga

João Pimentel Torres,
Hospital de Braga

Mário Alves,
Hospital de Braga

Paulo Mota,
Hospital de Braga