A systematic review of long-duration stents for ureteral stricture: which one to choose?

To define which long-term stent would work best in malignant ureteral obstruction (MUO) and benign ureteral obstruction (BUO), focusing on their mechanisms of action, price and insertion approach.

A systematic review was developed using the MEDLINE and Scopus databases and in accordance with the PRISMA checklist. There were no language restrictions for the search. Studies describing the use of metallic ureteric stents for MUO and for BUO in humans were included.

We analyzed five types of metallic stents (35 papers) and also the experience with the tumor and extra-anatomical stents. The Resonance, Memokath and Allium ureteral stents were found to be useful in BUO and MUO. The Uventa stent performed well in chronic ureteral obstruction. The Detour bypass stent was a recommended option in those patients who had complete obstruction of the ureter and were unfit for reconstructive surgery. There was no difference with regard to the insertion technique and both antegrade and retrograde approaches were equally successful. Although tumor stents showed a good performance, there were very few published studies on it.

Metallic stents are a suitable option for MUO and BUO. When compared to standard double J stents, although they are relatively high priced, they show a financial benefit in the long-term. The Detour bypass stent seems to be an effective alternative for complete ureteral obstruction or patients unfit for surgery. Further prospective randomized studies should be done on the effectiveness of tumor stents versus metallic stents.