Engineering solutions to ureteral stents: material, coating and design

Introduction An ideal stent would offer simple insertion and removal with no discomfort and/or migration, it would have no biofilm formation or encrustation and would also maintain the patient's quality of life. Material and methods In this mini-review, we outlined the engineering developments related to stent material, design and coating. Results There have been a wide variety of in-vitro, model-based, animal-based and clinical studies using a range of commercial and non-commercial stents. Ureteric stents have evolved since their first usage with a wider range of stent design, material and coating available for laboratory and clinical use. Conclusions While engineering innovations have led to the evolution of stents, more work needs to be done to address the issues relating to stent encrustation and biofilm formation.