Patients who receive a double J substitution with a pigtail suture stent experience a reduction in symptoms associated with the stent

According to a recent study, patients who were treated with double J (DJ) substitution utilizing a pigtail suture stent (PSS) subsequent to the ureteroscopy (URS) procedure experienced a significant alleviation of stent-related symptoms (SRS). Urologists could consider the placement of PSS after URS in patients who have been pre-stented to mitigate the effects of SRS. The results of the study were documented in the World Journal of Urology.

This study enrolled 93 patients with DJ stents undergoing URS for stone management. The Ureteral Symptom Score Questionnaire (USSQ) was submitted at three distinct time points: two weeks after the DJ stent insertion, two weeks following the PSS placement, and four weeks after the PSS removal [baseline]. The primary endpoint of the study was to compare the Urinary Symptom Index Score and the prevalence of pain in patients two weeks after the DJ and PSS procedures. The secondary endpoints included comparing various USSQ scores and single responses two weeks after the DJ and PSS placements, as well as evaluating the USSQ scores for both DJ and PSS in relation to the baseline measurements.

The results indicated a significant improvement in the Urinary Symptom Index Score after two weeks (p value < 0.001), along with a notable difference in the percentage of patients experiencing pain (60.2% for PSS compared to 88.2% for DJ, p value < 0.001), both of which favored PSS. The two-week scores revealed significant enhancements with PSS relative to DJ in various indices: Pain Index (p value < 0.001), General Health Index (p value < 0.001), VAS (p value < 0.001), and Work Performance Index (p value < 0.001). All urinary symptoms were significantly alleviated with PSS, including renal pain during urination and pain affecting quality of life. The Pain Index Score (p value = 0.622) and VAS (p value = 0.169) were similar to baseline with PSS, differing with the results observed with DJ.

Therefore, patients who underwent DJ substitution with PSS after URS demonstrated a significant decrease in SRS. Urologists could consider PSS following URS for patients who have previously been pre-stented to alleviate stent-related symptoms.