A comparison between short- and long-term D-J stent in Anderson-Hynes pyeloplasty for pelvi-ureteric junction...

A double-J (D-J) stent is usually kept in situ during Anderson-Hynes (A-H) pyeloplasty for pelvi-ureteric junction (PUJ) obstruction. The aim of the study is to determine whether early removal of D-J stent is better than long-term stenting.

In this prospective comparative study, conducted from January 2018 to April 2019 in Chittagong Medical College Hospital, patients with PUJ obstruction, age less than 12 years, were divided into group A (long-term stenting) and group B (short-term stenting) by simple randomization. Main outcome variables were urinary tract infection (UTI), stent colonization, encrustation, renal cortical thickness, differential renal function (DRF), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and flow rate in DTPA renogram.

There were 31 patients in each group. Median age was 5 years (IQR: 2.3 to 7 years) and male to female ratio was 2.1:1. Frequency of post-operative UTI and stent colonization were significantly higher in group A than group B (p < 0.001). All the patients of both groups had similar improvement in renal cortical thickness, DRF, GFR, and flow rate. The study was potentially limited by its small sample size and high median age (5 years).

Early removal of D-J stent had lower incidence of UTI, stent colonization, encrustation, and stent migration.