Prospective controlled ex vivo observational study on changes in elasticity of ureteral stents following clinical use.
- 1Department of Urology, LMU Klinikum, Munich, Germany.
Abstract
Introduction
Ureteral stents significantly impair health-related quality of life. Advances in stent material, particularly in polyurethane compositions, may mitigate adverse effects. This study evaluated ex vivo changes in the elasticity of ureteral stents made from a novel thermoplastic polyurethane composite (HybridPRO Technology by Urotech) compared to a control stent.Material and methods
In this prospective controlled ex vivo observational study, 97 patients undergoing ureteroscopy received one of two types of tethered 7 Fr, 28 cm ureteral stents. Eleven patients underwent bilateral procedures, yielding a total of 108 stents (54 per group). Group 1 received a polyurethane stent with HybridPRO Technology and group 2 received a polyurethane stent without HybridPRO Technology. After removal, stents were measured at the patient's bedside using a hanging apparatus with a predetermined 400 g load. In vitro (room temperature) and ex vivo elongations were recorded, and the net difference was calculated.Results
In vitro measurements showed a median elongation of 4 mm (IQR: 4-4) in group 1 vs 2 mm (IQR: 2-2) in group 2. Ex vivo, group 1 elongated significantly more (median, 12 mm; IQR: 11-13) compared to group 2 (median: 5 mm; IQR: 4-6; p <0.001). The net difference was larger in group 1 (median: 10 mm; IQR, 9-11) compared to group 2 (median: 3 mm; IQR: 2-4; p <0.001).Conclusions
Ureteral stents incorporating HybridPRO Technology demonstrated significantly greater elongation under standardized load after use compared to a control stent. These findings indicate material changes ex vivo; however, the clinical implications regarding comfort or quality of life remain to be determined in future studies.
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BibTeX
@article{hoffmann2026prospective,
title = {{Prospective controlled ex vivo observational study on changes in elasticity of ureteral stents following clinical use.}},
author = {Marina Hoffmann and Benedikt Ebner and Nikolaos Pyrgidis and Iulia Blajan and Troya Georgieva and Marc Kidess and Moritz Happe and Yannic Volz and Lennert Eismann and Maria Apfelbeck and Christian G Stief and Michael Chaloupka},
journal = {Central European journal of urology},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.5173/ceju.2025.0216},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904079},
note = {CC BY-NC-SA},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Prospective controlled ex vivo observational study on changes in elasticity of ureteral stents following clinical use.
AU - Marina Hoffmann
AU - Benedikt Ebner
AU - Nikolaos Pyrgidis
AU - Iulia Blajan
AU - Troya Georgieva
AU - Marc Kidess
AU - Moritz Happe
AU - Yannic Volz
AU - Lennert Eismann
AU - Maria Apfelbeck
AU - Christian G Stief
AU - Michael Chaloupka
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/12
JO - Central European journal of urology
DO - 10.5173/ceju.2025.0216
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904079
AB - Introduction Ureteral stents significantly impair health-related quality of life. Advances in stent material, particularly in polyurethane compositions, may mitigate adverse effects. This study evaluated ex vivo changes in the elasticity of ureteral stents made from a novel thermoplastic polyurethane composite (HybridPRO Technology by Urotech) compared to a control stent.Material and methods In this prospective controlled ex vivo observational study, 97 patients undergoing ureteroscopy received one of two types of tethered 7 Fr, 28 cm ureteral stents. Eleven patients underwent bilateral procedures, yielding a total of 108 stents (54 per group). Group 1 received a polyurethane stent with HybridPRO Technology and group 2 received a polyurethane stent without HybridPRO Technology. After removal, stents were measured at the patient's bedside using a hanging apparatus with a predetermined 400 g load. In vitro (room temperature) and ex vivo elongations were recorded, and the net difference was calculated.Results In vitro measurements showed a median elongation of 4 mm (IQR: 4-4) in group 1 vs 2 mm (IQR: 2-2) in group 2. Ex vivo, group 1 elongated significantly more (median, 12 mm; IQR: 11-13) compared to group 2 (median: 5 mm; IQR: 4-6; p <0.001). The net difference was larger in group 1 (median: 10 mm; IQR, 9-11) compared to group 2 (median: 3 mm; IQR: 2-4; p <0.001).Conclusions Ureteral stents incorporating HybridPRO Technology demonstrated significantly greater elongation under standardized load after use compared to a control stent. These findings indicate material changes ex vivo; however, the clinical implications regarding comfort or quality of life remain to be determined in future studies.
SN - 2080-4806
SN - 2080-4873
ER -