Abstract:

Objective: To explore the clinical safety and effectiveness of self-draining ureteral stent with thread in kidney transplant recipients in renal transplantation. Methods: This study is a prospective cohort clinical study in the Department of Urology of Peking University People's Hospital from November 2022 to January 2024. The ureteral stent with thread group, in which a 2-0 Mersilene suture of 20-30 cm was used at the bladder end of the ureteral stent during the operation. On the 9th day after the operation, the suture attached to the end of the ureteral stent was expelled out of the urethral orifice with the urine when the catheter was removed. The ureteral stent could be removed along with the suture. As to the cystoscope group, a ureteral stent was routinely placed during kidney transplantation, and the ureteral stent was removed under local infiltration anesthesia through cystoscopy after the operation. The pain scores [numerical rating scale (NRS)-11] during catheter removal and the incidence of urinary tract infections were observed and compared between the two groups. t test was used to compare the pain scores of indwelling ureteral stents and ureteral stents removal between the two groups, and Chi-square test was used to compare the occurrence of urinary system complications within 3 months after operation between the two groups. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: As of March 2024, all the recipients were followed up for an average of 6 months (3 to 12 months) postoperatively. A total of 46 kidney transplantation patients were included, with 21 in the ureteral stent with thread group and 25 in the cystoscope group. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in age distribution, male-to-female ratio, and deceased versus live donor grafts. Three months after renal transplantation, there were 15 cases of urinary tract infection in the cystoscope group and 4 cases in the ureteral stent with thread group (P=0.007). No significant urinary fistula, wound infection, or ureteral stenosis occurred in either group. No stent-related complications, stent migration, or stone formation were observed. The postoperative bladder spasm symptom scores for indwelling ureteral stents in the cystoscope group and the ureteral stent with thread group were 4.4±2.5 and 4.6±2.4, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (t=0.29, P=0.773). However, the pain scores during ureteral stent removal were 4.9±1.6 and 3.0±1.0 in the two groups, respectively, with a statistically significant diffe-rence (t=5.017, P < 0.001). The total costs of indwelling and removing ureteral stents in the cystoscopy group and the ureteral stent with thread group were 6 452.0 (5 539.5, 6 452.0) yuan and 3 225.0 (3 225.0, 3 225.0) yuan, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Compared with the conventional transplanted kidney ureteral stent, the self-discharge ureteral stent technique with sutures is simpler, has a shorter ureteral stent inlay time, reduces the symptoms of bladder spasms, significantly reduces the cost of catheterization, and has fewer postoperative urinary system complications. It is a worthy improved surgical method to be promoted.

Key words: Kidney transplantation, Ureteral obstruction, Stents