Role of permanent stents.

Abstract

The application of permanent stents in the urinary tract followed their success in the vascular system. Permanent metal stents have been used in the treatment of urethral stenosis, bladder outlet obstruction secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia. In addition, stents are used in the ureter for ureteroileal strictures and malignant obstruction. Despite the favorable early results, concerns have been raised about their biocompatibility, hyperplastic tissue response, encrustation, and carcinogenicity. This paper reviews the long-term data on permanent stents, primarily the Urolume device, which has been studied extensively in multicenter trials in North America and was recently approved for use in the urethra and for the treatment of bladder outlet obstruction secondary to BPH.