Engineering solutions to ureteral stents: material, coating and design

Introduction. An ideal stent would offer simple insertion and removal with no discomfort and/or migration, would have no biofilm formation or encrustation, and would also maintain patient's quality of life. Materials and methods. In this mini review we outline the engineering developments relating to stent material, design and coating. Results. There have been a wide variety of in-vitro, model based, animal based and clinical studies using a range of commercial and non-commercial stents. Ureteric stents have evolved since their first use with a wide range of stent design, material and coating available for laboratory and clinical use. Conclusions. While engineering innovations have led to the evolution of stents, more work needs to be done to address issues relating to stent encrustation and biofilm formation