Catheterization of the urinary tract for drainage is the mainstay of u
rologic manipulations, Although the material of which the catheters ar
e made changed during the years, they all remained external communicat
ing devices, causing ascending infections and discomfort, A concept of
completely internal catheters for use in urology developed during the
last few decades, Although the first self-retaining internal ureteral
catheters (stents) were developed for use in open surgical procedures
or on malignant obstructions, later, they caused a considerable leap
in the development of minimally invasive endourologic procedures, The
development of intraurethral stents also started to change some of the
approaches to the management of bladder outlet obstruction, This pape
r summarizes the subject of urologic stents, which is presented in det
ail in this special issue of the Journal of Endourology.