A ureteral stent is a soft, flexible tube — usually 22–30 cm long and only a few millimetres wide — placed inside the ureter to keep urine flowing from the kidney to the bladder. Both ends curl into a "J" shape to hold it in place, which is why it is commonly called a double-J (DJ) stent. Stents are placed when the ureter is blocked or healing: after kidney stone treatment, around a stone awaiting surgery, following ureteroscopy, or when something outside the ureter compresses it. They are temporary, extremely common, and — the part nobody tells you — often more noticeable than patients expect. This guide covers how placement works, the side effects that are normal, and the ones that are not.
Why Would I Need a Ureteral Stent?
Four situations account for most stents: after stone surgery (ureteroscopy or lithotripsy), to keep the ureter open while post-procedure swelling settles; before stone surgery, to relieve a blocked, infected, or painful kidney until definitive treatment; to protect healing after ureteral repair; and chronic compression from outside the ureter. In an obstructed kidney with fever, drainage — by stent or by a percutaneous nephrostomy catheter — is urgent, because infection above a blockage can escalate quickly.
How Is a Stent Placed?
Placement is a short procedure, usually under sedation or general anesthesia: the urologist passes a cystoscope into the bladder, advances a guidewire up the ureter, and slides the stent over the wire under X-ray guidance. No incision is involved. Designs such as INVAMED's UroFlow ureteral stents use soft biocompatible polymers and hydrophilic coatings so the stent tracks smoothly and the body tolerates it during its stay. Placement typically takes 10–20 minutes; most patients go home the same day.
Living With a Stent: What's Normal
Expect some or all of the following, especially in the first days: a frequent or urgent need to urinate; a pulling flank ache during or after urination (urine briefly refluxes up the stent — unpleasant, harmless); pink-tinged urine after activity; and awareness of the stent during exercise. What helps: drinking steadily rather than in large loads, avoiding the specific movements that trigger the ache, and any bladder-relaxant medication your urologist prescribes. Most people work, walk, and live normally with a stent; vigorous sport is usually possible but often less comfortable.
What's Not Normal
Contact your urologist urgently for fever or chills (possible infection above the stent), pain not controlled by prescribed medication, heavy bleeding with clots, or inability to urinate. And note the single most important rule of stent care: a stent must never be forgotten. Stents left beyond their intended duration encrust with mineral deposits and can become very difficult to remove — keep your removal appointment, and if it isn't scheduled, ask for the date before you leave the hospital.
Stent Removal
Removal is far simpler than placement: for most stents, a brief office cystoscopy under local anesthesia grasps and withdraws it in under a minute. Some stents are placed with a retrieval string that allows removal without cystoscopy. Mild burning and pink urine for a day afterwards are normal.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a ureteral stent stay in?
Typically days to a few weeks for post-stone healing; long-term stents used for chronic obstruction are exchanged on a schedule set by the urologist. The stent's dwell time is a medical decision — never extend it on your own.
Does ureteral stent placement hurt?
Placement is done under sedation or anesthesia, so not during the procedure. Afterwards, urinary urgency and flank ache are common for a few days and manageable with medication.
Can I exercise and have sex with a stent?
Generally yes — activity does not damage the stent, though it may increase awareness of it and cause temporary blood-tinged urine.
What happens if a stent stays too long?
It encrusts with stone material, can block, and may require complex surgery to remove. This is entirely preventable by keeping the removal or exchange appointment.
Related on INVAMED
Companion guide: ureteroscopy and stone removal explained. Plain-language hub: kidney stones, BPH & urologic conditions. Device portfolio: urology and incontinence management.
This article is for education only and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment — always consult a qualified physician about your situation. Device availability and regulatory status vary by country; contact INVAMED or your authorized local distributor for current regulatory information applicable to your region.