Effects of Three Different Ureteral Stents on Stent-Related Symptoms in Patients Undergoing Ureteroscopic Lithotripsy: Assessment Using the Ureteral Stent Symptoms Questionnaire

OBJECTIVE: Ureteral stents are commonly used after ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URS) to prevent obstruction, but often cause stent-related symptoms (SRS), which can impact patients' quality of life. The Ureteral Stent Symptoms Questionnaire (USSQ) is a validated tool for assessing these symptoms. This study aimed to compare the SRS of three ureteral stents: conventional Double-J (cDJ, Tria), soft DJ (sDJ, Tria Soft), and loop-tail (LT, Polaris Loop), using the Japanese version of the USSQ. METHODS: < 0.05 considered significant. RESULTS: < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The Polaris Loop stent significantly reduced SRS compared with the Tria stent, whereas the Tria Soft stent showed a favorable trend toward improvement. Because SRS is a major patient concern, general health should be considered alongside urinary and pain symptoms when selecting an optimal stent.