Stent Removal: Understanding the Procedure and Recovery

A stent is an artificial tubing that is inserted into vessels in the body to allow for passage of fluid and prevent blockage. The placement and the removal of stents require anesthesia, and the process is fairly simple. Stents are used in various locations in the body, including ureters, coronary arteries and parts of the digestive tract. The process for each is different, so we'll use the removal of a urinary stent in a male as an example.

Instructions

• 1

  Place local anesthetic in the penis. This procedure is necessary to avoid any discomfort for the patient. It takes a few minutes for the anesthetic to set in.

• 2

  Pass a flexible scope through the urinary tract into the bladder. The scope will be passed through 20 cm, which is the length of the male urethra before entering the bladder.

• 3

  Place a grasper through the scope to grab the stent. A three-prong wire grasper is normally used in order to grab the stent.

• 4

  Gently remove the scope. Slowly pulling the scope from the male urethra with attached grasper will effectively remove the stent in the urinary tract.