Ureteral obstruction secondary to
ureterolithiasis in cats is a challenging situation. Ureteral stenting has recently been introduced to prevent complications that often occurred after ureterotomy or other invasive surgeries. The purpose of this study is to describe the stenting technique and perioperative difficulties, as well as long-term outcome and complications with ureteral stenting in 12 cats with ureteroliths. Fifteen 2.5 Fr soft double pigtail multi-fenestrated ureteral
stents were placed in an anterograde fashion under open surgical approaches and with fluoroscopic guidance in 12 cats. Nine cats received a unilateral
stent and three received bilateral
stents. Ureterotomy or ureteral resection and end-to-end anastomosis were performed in three and four cases, respectively. In six cats, papillotomy was performed to facilitate dilatator and
stent placement. All cats recovered well from the
surgical procedure, except one cat, which died during the anaesthesia recovery period. Postoperative complications included
dysuria (three cases, diagnosed at 15 days, 1 month and 3 months, respectively),
urinary tract infection (one case, 1 month after surgery),
stent migration requiring
stent replacement (one case, 19 months after surgery) and
stent obstruction requiring
stent removal (three cases with previously end-to-end anastomosis between 2 and 8 months after surgery). Nine cats (75%) were alive at a mean follow-up of 453 ± 194 (123-720) days. The median survival time was >415 days.
Stent placement appeared to be a valuable and safe option for treating
ureteral obstruction in cats. However, periodic and long-term monitoring of
stents is warranted.