What Is a Ureteral Stent?

Picture a kidney doing its job — making urine around the clock — while the narrow tube that should carry that urine down to the bladder is blocked. The urine has nowhere to go, pressure builds, and the kidney aches. A ureteral stent is the workaround: a thin, hollow tube placed inside that drainage tube, the ureter, so urine can flow past the blockage while the underlying problem is treated or heals.

The video at the top of this page, "Expel Ureteral Stent Procedure", runs for about two and a half minutes and shows a stent procedure, with a plain description of what the tube is and what to expect afterwards — including that a small amount of blood in the urine for the first few days is common. Watching it first makes the questions below easier to follow.

What exactly is sitting in the ureter?

Less than you might imagine. The stent is a soft, flexible tube, narrower than a drinking straw, with a gentle curl at each end. One curl sits in the kidney, the other in the bladder, and those curls are what hold it in place — there are no stitches and nothing sticks out of the body in the usual design. Urine drains through the tube and around it, so even a swollen or obstructed ureter keeps emptying.

It helps to know the territory. The ureters are the two muscular tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder, and the commonest reason one of them blocks is a kidney stone lodging on its way down. Our kidney stones condition hub gathers the site's stone guides, videos and tools together if that is the problem you are dealing with.

Why would a kidney need one?

Usually because something is stopping urine getting through, and a backed-up kidney needs relief. Another video on this site, "Ureteral Stent Procedure", puts it plainly: the ureter can become obstructed by kidney stones, tumours, infection, or blood clots, and a stent restores the flow of urine to the bladder. Stones are the everyday cause — a stent may be placed urgently when a stone blocks the kidney, or after stone surgery, when the ureter is swollen and needs time to settle.

Stents are also used protectively: after procedures inside the ureter, while a narrowed stretch heals, or to keep urine draining while a stone is dealt with in stages. If your stone is being broken up rather than removed whole, our guide to lithotripsy for kidney stones explains that treatment, and our article on what a kidney stone is and how it is treated covers the wider picture. The stent itself treats none of these causes — it keeps the kidney draining while the real treatment happens.

How does the tube get there?

In most cases it is placed from below, with no cuts. Working through the bladder with a thin viewing instrument, the clinician passes a fine guidewire up the ureter and slides the stent over it into position, often checking placement with X-ray imaging as they go. The second video linked above describes exactly that image-guided idea. Depending on the situation and your team's practice, the placement is done with sedation or a general anaesthetic, so you should not feel the procedure itself.

Occasionally the route is different — for example, placement through the back into the kidney when the way from below is blocked — but that is a decision your team will explain if it applies to you. Either way, you will be told before you go home whether your stent has a thread attached, when it is due to come out, and who to contact in between. Write that removal date down; it matters, as the next answers explain.

What does living with one feel like?

Here, honesty helps: experiences vary a lot. Some people barely notice a stent. Others find the bladder end of the tube irritating, so they pass urine more often, feel urgency, or get a dull ache in the loin when they pass urine, as a little urine washes back up the tube towards the kidney. Pink-tinged urine is common, especially after activity — the anchor video's own description notes a small amount of blood in the urine for the first few days after the procedure.

These effects are usually a nuisance rather than a danger, and they settle once the stent comes out. What is not expected is a fever, shivering, pain that keeps worsening, heavy bleeding with clots, or being unable to pass urine at all — those need prompt contact with your team, as they can point to infection or a blocked stent that needs attention. Follow your own team's guidance on fluids, activity and any medicines, because the right advice depends on why your stent was placed.

How and when does it come out?

A ureteral stent is temporary. How long it stays — days after a straightforward stone procedure, longer while healing or staged treatment continues — is set by your team, and follow-up often includes checking how well the kidney is working; our eGFR calculator explains the blood-test measure used for that. Removal is usually far quicker than placement: many stents are taken out in a clinic with a thin viewing instrument passed into the bladder, grasping the lower curl and sliding the tube out in seconds. A stent left on a thread may be removed by gently pulling that thread, but only if your team has told you to do that, or does it for you.

The one rule worth remembering is not to forget it. A stent left in far beyond its planned date can collect stone-like deposits and become difficult to remove, which is why teams track removal dates and why yours should be in your diary too. Once it is out, the bladder irritation and pink urine typically fade over the following days, and your team will tell you what happens next for the underlying cause — a stone analysis, a scan, or simply discharge.

References & further reading

• MedlinePlus — Stent (Medical Encyclopedia): https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002303.htm
• MedlinePlus — Kidney Stones: https://medlineplus.gov/kidneystones.html
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) — Treatment for Kidney Stones: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/kidney-stones/treatment
• NHS — Kidney stones: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/kidney-stones/

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a ureteral stent permanent?

No. It is a temporary drainage tube, placed for a set period that your team decides — sometimes days, sometimes longer while treatment or healing continues. It is then removed, usually in a short clinic procedure.

Can I work and exercise with a stent in place?

Most people carry on with everyday activities, but vigorous exercise can increase discomfort and pink-tinged urine. Follow your own team's advice, because it depends on why the stent was placed and what procedure you have had.

Does having a stent removed hurt?

Removal is usually very brief. Most people describe a short discomfort or pressure sensation as the tube slides out rather than significant pain, and no anaesthetic is usually needed for a straightforward clinic removal. Your team will tell you what to expect in your case.

When should I contact my team urgently?

Contact your team promptly — or seek urgent care — if you develop a fever or shivering, pain that keeps getting worse, heavy bleeding or clots in the urine, or you cannot pass urine. Those symptoms can signal infection or a blocked stent.

MedicalVideos.com has published trusted medical videos since 2007. The site was founded by Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim, MD, PhD — physician-scientist.

Educational only — this article is general information about ureteral stents, not medical advice and not a diagnosis. Whether this device, or any procedure, is right for you is a matter for your own care team, who know your results and your history.