DJ stent is the short form for double “J’ stent. It is a small tube that is placed in the body from the Kidney to the Urinary bladder. It is kept for about six weeks. The lower portion which is in the Urinary bladder is shaped like a usual “J” while the upper portion is like a mirror image. The shape helps in retaining the stent in the body.

What does the DJ stent do?

The DJ stent does the following:

• If there is block in the path, urine can travel through these holes and prevent back pressure changes & Kidney destruction.

• It helps the ureter dilate. The ureter or the passage from the Kidney to the urinary bladder enlarges to about two and a half to three times.

• It helps prevent strictures or narrowing during the healing process. If there is injury or obstruction due to a stone, the healing process would narrow the lumen. Whereas, DJ stent prevent this from happening.

• It can flush the stones out of the Kidney. The person’s movement especially during walking or running creates movement of urine in the Kidney that facilitates movement of the stone out of the Kidney.

• It helps the Kidney push out stones. DJ stent is considered as foreign body inside our body and our body reacts with it and tries to throw it out and with help of stent removal stone is thrown out of the body.

What are the uses of DJ stents?

The following are the instances when DJ stents are used.

• To facilitate the passage of small and medium sized stones in the Kidney to pass. DJ stenting helps to remove all the stone present inside it of size 7 mm and half of the stone of size 7 mm to 12 mm that would be passed out automatically with the help of water taken in plenty amount. As a precursor for breaking stones in the renal pelvis, upper or middle calyces.
• Some precautions should be taken for the retro peritoneal surgeries such as surgeries for cancer of the Uterus.
• For keeping the Ureter patent in conditions like retro peritoneal fibrosis. If Ureter are not patent, they can cause Kidney failure.
• After breaking ureter stone to help the fragments pass and to prevent stricture formation.
• If kidney stones are broken, then they prevent broken fragments to flush out and prevent them from blocking the passage. The broken fragments can line up and form what is called Steinstrasse which means Stone Street.
• After surgeries on the renal pelvis or ureter to prevent stricture formation.
• Different kinds of stents are used during the surgery like endoscopic surgery performed for hydronephrosis.

How is DJ stent carried out?

We previously went over how to place a urethral stent. In today’s post, we go over the steps of removing a stent. Urethral stents are removed using two basic methods:

1. It can be pulled out by stretching strings out if it is left behind.
2. Placing a camera into the bladder (cystoscopy) to directly see and grab the stent with a small grasping device.
   

Removing a stent with a string left in place:

In some cases, your urologist will leave a string attached to one end of a urethral stent. The stent string is a long piece of thread that will start from the stent and drape out the urethra, where it is visible at the urethral meatus (where urine comes out).

For removal of stent, the string lying outside is pulled out until all the stents comes out. The curls at the end of urethral stent are flexible, so the stent should uncurl and come out easily.

What’s the advantage of leaving a string?

1. The stent can be removed without performing cystoscopy.
2. It is also applicable that patients are applicable for removing their own stents without wasting their time for an appointment.
3. Stents can’t be “forgotten” when a string is attached. When no string is left attached, a patient may forget or not realize that a stent was left in place. As passage of time passes, these unremoved stent can make a large stone on them making it difficult to remove.

What’s the disadvantage of a string?

1. The string can get snagged on clothing or be pulled on accidentally resulting in a urethral stent being removed earlier than it was supposed to. It is more common in female patient.
2. The string can be a minor annoyance. Some patients prefer not to have to remove their stents   themselves at home using the string. So, they are allowed to come at hospital for the stent removal.

 Pain after stent removal:

In most patients, stent removal is a relief as their stent discomfort goes away. However, in some patients, severe pain may occur for several hours. It happens because of the spasms of the ureter or it can be due to the swelling or temporary blockage after the removal of stents.

If you are thinking about trying naproxen, be sure to read the manufacturer’s warnings as some patients should not take the medication and check with your doctor first to make sure it’s okay in your situation.

DJ stent minimum costs for Rs. 40,500 to maximum Rs. 81,000.