Epidural catheters can facilitate laparoscopic placement of ureteral stent: description of a technique.

Aim: To introduce a novel technique for laparoscopic placement of ureteral stent and to investigate the safety and effectiveness of this new method.

Methods: Fourteen patients underwent laparoscopic placement of ureteral stents with the technique. The stent was indwelled with an epidural catheter, delivered to the operative field, and placed through the ureteral incision into the renal pelvis and bladder, respectively. The stent was then secured with pincers, while the epidural catheter was removed.

Results: With this method, the ureteral stent insertion is very convenient and time saving (the mean time for inserting a stent was 2.7 min). The stents were successfully inserted into 13 patients once. One patient underwent insertion of the stent twice intraoperatively. Thirty days after the operations, none of double-J stents had migrated out of the renal pelvis or bladder.

Conclusions: This technique is reliable and effective in laparoscopic ureteral operations. Its use should be generalized in laparoscopic ureteral operations.