Outcomes of indwelling metallic stents for malignant extrinsic ureteral obstruction

To report the treatment outcomes of patients with extrinsic ureteral obstruction treated with metallic stents and to identify the factors predicting stent failure.

A total of 52 patients with extrinsic ureteral obstruction as a result of malignancy (66 ureters) were treated with metallic stents (Resonance^® ) and included in the study. The median observation period was 118 days.

The median survival time of these patients was 210 days, and the stent patency rate was 86.0% at 6 months and 60.0% at 1 year. Eight (15.4%) patients underwent nephrostomy as a result of stent failure. The occlusion rate of bilateral ureteral obstructed cases was significantly higher than that of unilateral cases. There was no correlation between the preoperative serum creatinine level, causes of ureteral occlusions (compression by tumor, lymph node metastasis, peritoneal dissemination), obstructed site (upper, middle, lower ureter) and stent failure.

Metallic stents are excellent in maintaining patency compared with the conventional stents. Therefore, they can be used as first-line treatment of malignant ureteral obstructions.