Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 02/17/2009
A number of different technologies aid in the diagnosis of ureteral obstruction. These include:
- cystoscopy (a procedure in which a thin, tubular instrument is used to visualize the interior of the bladder)
- ultrasonography (an imaging technique that uses high-frequency sounds waves to visualize structures inside the body)
- computed tomography (an imaging technique that uses x rays to produce two-dimensional cross-sections on a viewing screen)
- pyelography (x rays taken of the urinary tract after a contrast dye has been injected into a vein or into the kidney, ureter, or bladder)
Prior to ureteral stenting, the procedure should be thoroughly explained by a medical professional. No food or drink is permitted after midnight the night before surgery. The patient wears a hospital gown during the procedure. If the stent insertion is performed with the aid of a cystoscope, the patient will assume a position that is typically used in a gynecological exam (lying on the back, with the legs flexed and supported by stirrups).
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Definition
Ureteral stents are thin catheters threaded into segments of the ureter that carry urine, produced by the kidney, either down into the bladder internally, or to an external collection system. Insertion is most often done through the skin (percutaneously); however, in the presence of kidney or ureteral stones, stenting is ideally done during cystoscopy.
— Kathleen D. Wright, RN
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