Rapid Percutaneous Nephrostomy Stent Encrustation in Pregnancy: Navigating Your Stone Challenge

Surgical management of kidney stones in pregnancy can be a serious problem for both mother and fetus.

A 20-year-old woman with a second trimester pregnancy presented to the emergency room with renal calculi. She required surgical intervention and a left nephrostomy tube after consultation with urology. Five weeks later, her tube was solidified in place unbeknownst to her care team. She required several surgeries, dealt with encrustation remnants, infections, radiation exposure, persistent infection requiring antibiotic management, and, ultimately, an early delivery at 37 weeks.

At the time of writing, this was the first case to describe a stent encrustation remnant in pregnancy. This case illustrates the need for timely follow-up after interventional radiology procedures and the potential complications a pregnant patient can encounter with surgical interventions, such as a nephrostomy tube. This case highlights stone challenges that obstetricians, internists, urologists, and radiologists should be aware of when managing the most common nonobstetrical cause of admission in pregnancy.