Comparative analysis of lighted ureteral stents: Lumination and tissue effects

Purpose: The objectives of the present study were to compare the luminescence of three types of ureteral illuminated stents and analyze their effects on urothelial histology. Materials and Methods: Three types of illuminating ureteral stents; the Cook single illuminating catheter, Cook double illuminating catheter and Stryker illumination system stent were laparoscopically placed in nine female white pigs (50 kg), under general anesthesia. After leaving the stents illuminated for 3 hours, during which time peritoneal insufflation was maintained at 18 mm Hg, the ureter was transected and the intraluminal temperature of the ureter was measured with a digital thermometer. The ureteral tissue was then harvested for histologic evaluation, and the animal was euthanized. Results: Statistical analysis confirmed that Stryker and Cook double illuminated stents were equally efficient in illuminating the ureter (P 0.46) whereas, the Cook single stent was significantly superior (P = 0.000004). There was no significant difference in mean intraluminal temperatures between the Cook single (95.2°F), Cook double (92.3°F), and Stryker (95.1°F) stents. When compared with the intraluminal temperature of control unstented ureters, no significant increase was noted with the Cook single (P = 0.85), Cook double (P = 0.57), or Stryker (P = 0.82). Histologic analysis did not show any evidence of thermal injury to the urothelium or any remarkable alteration in the ureteral mucosa. Conclusion: The Cook single illuminated stent presented the highest luminescence. All three devices did not cause any remarkable injury to the urothelium after 3 hours of exposure.