FRACTURED URETERAL STENTS - MINIMAL INVAS IVE EXTRACTION WITH THE DORMIA STONE DISLODGER

Due to surgical removement of a gynecologic tumor, ureteral stents wer e placed on both sides in a now 58 year old woman preoperatively. They were not exchanged or removed for the course of two years, since both patient and doctors forgot about the stents after the operation was c ompleted. Finally recurrent urinary tract infections and dysuria lead to x-ray examination and identification of the meanwhile fractured ste nts. The extraction of the remnants was performed in a minimal invasiv e manner using a Dormia stone dislodger. Incrustation and mechanical b urden may cause occlusion or fracture of the endoprosthesis in long-te rm uretereal stenting. These complications can be minimized by routine ly exchanging the ureteral stents at least every four months. In addit ion, every patient should be provided with a ''catheter-pass'' to avoi d a loss of information among doctors and patients.