The effectiveness and durability of ureteral tumor stent, the national taiwan university hospital experience

Purpose: We reviewed the clinical experience of using the ureteral tumor stent (Bard®, angiomed UROSOFT) in the National Taiwan University Hospital. We focused on the efficacy and durability of the ureteral tumor stent. Materials and Methods: We collected the patient data from April 2013 to 2014. A total of 94 patients with 157 ureteral units which received ureteral tumor stent in the National Taiwan University Hospital were enrolled. We analyzed the effectiveness according to the hydronephrosis grading. The durability was counted if it did not match any of the failure criteria including the following: 1. Hydronephrosis upgrade, 2. Serum creatinine elevated over 150% of baseline, 3. Ipsilateral percutaneous nephrostomy insertion or failure to remove it after antegrade insertion, and 4. Replacement due to clinically significant symptoms. Results: In general, 65% hydronephrosis downgrade, 25% remained stationary without severe hydronephrosis, while only 10% deteriorated or remain severe hydronephrosis. The median durability was 6.8 months. The bacteriuria and size of the ureteral tumor stent were the significant factors about the durability in single variant analysis. Conclusion: The ureteral tumor stent would improve the obstructive uropathy and persist functional for an average period over half a year