Is the Liberal Use of Double-J Ureteral Stents Justified for Outpatient Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy?

Abstract

The liberal use of double-J ureteral stents has been encouraged at the Bay Area Renal Stone Center in an effort to prevent complications and avoid hospitalizations and auxiliary procedures following extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL*) utilizing a Dornier HM3 lithotripter. The rationale for the frequent use of double-J stents resulted from several factors. When this outpatient ESWL center opened, ESWL generally was considered an inpatient procedure. The large number (90) of treating urologists initially had limited experience in ESWL. The Stone Center serviced a large geographic area (radius 150 miles) with a significant number of patients requiring substantial travel time following the shock wave procedure.