TITLE:
Forgotten Ureteral Stents in a Tertiary Hospital in Accra and a Review of Endourological Management of Upper Urinary Tract Pathologies in the West Africa Sub-Region
AUTHORS:
Lemuel Davies Bray, Mathew Yamoah Kyei, James Edward Mensah, Kwadwo Ntiamoah Ampadu, Isaac Obeng Asiedu, Bernard Toboh, Evans Akpakli, Foli Ashiagbor, Joseph Awuku-Asabre, Mawuenyo Oyortey
KEYWORDS:
Ureteral Stent, Encrustation, Endourology, West Africa
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Urology,
Vol.6 No.6,
June
17,
2016
ABSTRACT: Background: Forgotten ureteral stent is
defined as prolong indwelling ureteral stent whose function is no longer
desired. Ureteral stents are used in the management of upper urinary tract
pathologies. Prolonged indwelling ureteral stents may be complicated by
urosepsis or renal failure, encrustation, stone formation, spontaneous fracture
which may either be retained or voided in the urine (stenturia). Hitherto,
these complications were managed by open procedures alone in our center. We
report our recent experience in endourology with the management of three cases
of forgotten ureteral stents with durations of ten years and two years (two
cases) and review endourological practice in West Africa. Conclusion: Although
encrusted stents can be managed successfully by minimally invasive approaches
in the majority of cases, the best treatment is prevention. Urology units
should have preferably an electronic stent register such that when the time for
removal is due, the patient's name and details are flagged red. If electronic
register is not available, then a hard paper/book register should be made to
prevent situations of forgotten stents. Also, efforts must be made to improve
endourological services in the West Africa subregion to allow patients to have
the benefit of endourology in the management of upper urinary tract pathologies
including that of stones originating from an encrusted or fractured forgotten
ureteral stent.