The influence of indwelling double-J stent duration prior to URS on postoperative complicated urinary tract infections

Ureterorenoscopy and double‑J stents are frequently associated with complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI’s). To date, it remains unclear whether longer indwelling stent duration increases the risk of cUTI’s and recommendations on this subject are therefore lacking. This study investigates whether double‑J stent placement and longer indwelling stent duration prior to URS increase the risk of post-URS cUTI’s. Adult patients undergoing ureterorenoscopy in 2019 were eligible for study participation. Records were retrospectively collected. Potential risk factors were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression models. 16.9% of the prestented patients was diagnosed with a UTI, compared to 7.1% in the non-prestented group (p = 0.034). Female gender, preoperative positive urine cultures and stone recurrence were significant risk factors. This study demonstrated a correlation between preoperative placement of double‑J stents and post-URS complicated UTI’s. However, neither preoperative double‑J stent placement nor longer indwelling stent time was a significant risk factor for postoperative complicated UTI’s.