To tube or not to tube? Utilising a tubeless antegrade ureteric stenting system in a tertiary referral hospital.

INTRODUCTION

To assess the benefits and complications of developing a practice of single-stage primary ureteral stenting in a university hospital.

METHODS

A practice change developed from the traditional practice of multi-stage stenting to single-episode stent placement. To evaluate this change of practice, we retrospectively analysed data of 70 patients who underwent primary tubeless antegrade ureteric stenting and compared this group to the previous 54 patients who had a covering nephrostomy.

RESULTS

There was an overall success rate of 91.3% (85/93 stents having had tubeless antegrade stenting). There were no major and 33 minor complications. The comparative group of 54 patients whose stents had a covering nephrostomy had a median length of stay of 13.2 days compared to 7.4 days for the tubeless group.

CONCLUSION

Single-stage primary ureteric stenting is a safe practice to employ and has universal benefits for both the patient and the health service.