Comparative assessment of ureteral stent biomaterial encrustation

Long-term use of ureteral stents is hindered by the inherent problem of biomaterial encrustation which may lead to stone formation and attendant problems. The wide variety of polymeric biomaterials currently used for stent fabrication suggests that no single material is significantly superior to the others at resisting encrustation. A model representing upper urinary tract conditions was employed to compare the long-term struvite and hydroxyapatite encrustation of five materials currently used in the fabrication of ureteral stents. Silicone was least prone to struvite encrustation, followed by polyurethane, silitek, percuflex and hydrogel-coated polyurethane, in rank order. Similarly, silicone was least prone to hydroxyapatite encrustation, followed by silitek, polyurethane, percuflex and hydrogel-coated polyurethane. This study has shown that the problem of encrustation may limit the long-term use of ureteral stent biomaterials and suggests directions for improvement of biomaterials in this regard.