ABSTRACT

Introduction For over two decades stents have been utilized in urology. Early stents were largely temporary implant devices fabricated from rubber or plastic for use in the upper urinary tract. These stents were non-wallcontacting devices, free floating in the lumen, to ensure continued urinary flow and prevent lumen compromise. More recently, metal stents, based on designs originally developed for the vascular system, have been utilized in the urinary tract. These implants have been temporary or permanent, providing direct wall support as well as functioning as moulds to facilitate lumen healing and urinary tract remodelling following endo-urological intervention. As the use of an increasingly wide variety of stents finds clinical application in urology, limitations of current stent designs emerge.