New Stent Technologies

Abstract

Ureteral stents are an indispensable part of any (endo-) urologic practice. Despite the widely demonstrated advantages of stents, they also carry a considerable risk of side effects and complications, such as urinary symptoms, pain, hematuria, decreased quality of life, stent-related infection, and encrustation. Multiple pathways in preventing or mitigating these side effects and complications and improving stent efficacy have been and are being investigated, including stent architecture and design, biomaterials, and coatings. This article provides an update on currently researched and available stents as well as future perspectives.

Keywords: Biofilm; Biomaterial; Coating; Encrustation; Ureteral stent.