[A 8-year-forgotten ureteral stent after kidney transplantation: treatment and long-term follow-up].

INTRODUCTION

Forgotten indwelling ureteral stents can cause significant urological complications. Only few cases are reported after kidney transplantation.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

We present a case of a 39-year-old woman, transplanted in 1993 and referred to our Transplant Center 8 years later, because of a serious urinary tract infection with renal function impairment. Abdominal CT scan showed pyelonephritis and hydronephrosis in the transplanted kidney and the presence of a calcific ureteral stent, which had been forgotten in situ for 8 years. The stent was removed, but it was impossible to replace it with a new stent both retrogradely and anterogradely, because of a tight obstruction of the mid ureter. So a uretero-ureteral anastomosis with up urinary tract was performed.

RESULTS

No intra- or post-operative complications occurred. At 9 years' follow-up, the patient shows an optimal renal function, with no urinary tract infection.

DISCUSSION: A forgotten ureteral stent in a transplanted kidney can cause a lot of complications and can lead to graft loss. The prosthesis may cause an irreversible ureteral damage, so, as in our experience, forgetting a ureteral stent can result in a complex surgery.