An Indwelling Ureteral Stent Forgotten for Over 12 Years

Ureteral stents are one of the most commonly used urologic devices with the purpose of establishing and maintaining ureteral patency. They are also associated with a number of complications including infection, migration, stent-related symptoms, and encrustation, leading to lithiasis. Prolonged stent dwell time is associated with a greater degree of these complications. We present the case of a 36-year-old man who presented with a severely encrusted ureteral stent that had been placed 12.5 years prior for an obstructive left-sided ureteral stone and was lost to follow-up. The patient underwent a combination of percutaneous nephrolithomy, cystolitholapaxy, and ureteroscopy to remove the stent and associated 1.7 cm renal pelvic stone and 4.1 cm bladder stone, necessitating two operative sittings to render him stone free.