Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2021 Dec 28;17(3):763-766.
doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2021.12.025. eCollection 2022 Mar.

Urethral beading: A unique radiographic finding following laser lithotripsy for ureteric stent encrustation

Amber Fern Irene Matkowski  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Urethral beading: A unique radiographic finding following laser lithotripsy for ureteric stent encrustation

Amber Fern Irene Matkowski. Radiol Case Rep. .

Erratum in

Abstract

We present an interesting case of ureteric stent encrustation in a 35-year-old male who was lost to follow up for 8 months during the Covid-19 pandemic. After clearing severe stent encrustation with ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsy, the patient presented with urinary retention and multiple failed catheterizations. They were found to have numerous calcified urethral fragments secondary to stent encrustation, with a unique radiographic appearance of a string of beads overlying the pubic symphysis. A new stent was inserted and the patient was lost to follow up for a further 4 months, during which time pronounced encrustation formed again.

Keywords: CT, computerized tomography; Interventional radiology; Lithotripsy; Stent encrustation; URSL, ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsy; Ureteric stent; Ureteroscopy; Urology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Non-contrast CT of kidneys, ureter and bladder. Transverse non-contrast CT scan of kidneys, ureter and bladder, confirming stent position, patency and successful clearance of a partially obstructive right ureteric calculus. Left: confirmed position of ureteric double-J stent in situ (A). Right: a clinically insignificant nonobstructive 8 mm caliceal calculus is seen in the upper polar region of right kidney (B).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
X-Ray of kidneys, ureter and bladder. Anteroposterior radiograph of kidneys, ureter and bladder demonstrates prominent calcifications in the bladder beck (A) and overlying the pubic symphysis (B), capturing a rare string of beads appearance of fragmented stones within the urethra.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence . NICE; 2019. Renal and ureteric stones final scope. NICE guideline NG118 [Internet]https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng118/documents/final-scope [cited 2021 Sep 26]. Available from:
    1. Al-Mamari SA. Urolithiasis in clinical practice. Springer International Publishing; Cham: 2017. Complications of urolithiasis; pp. 121–129.
    1. Beysens M, Tailly TO. Ureteral stents in urolithiasis. Asian J Urol. 2018;5(4):274–286. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mosayyebi A, Vijayakumar A, Yue QY, Bres-Niewada E, Manes C, Carugo D, et al. Engineering solutions to ureteral stents: material, coating and design. Cent European J Urol. 2017;70(3):270–274. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zhao J, Cao Z, Ren L, Chen S, Zhang B, Liu R, et al. A novel ureteral stent material with antibacterial and reducing encrustation properties. Mater Sci Eng C. 2016;68:221–228. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources