A Prospective Randomized Trial Comparing the Effects of Anti-reflux Versus Standard Ureteral Stents on Male Sexual Function

A Prospective Randomized Trial Comparing the Effects of Anti-reflux Versus Standard Ureteral Stents on Male Sexual Function

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of anti-reflux ureteral stents on improving erectile function and quality of life of patients with ureteral stents.

Methods and Populations: A total of 100 male patients who required ureteral stent placement after ureteroscopic lithotripsy were randomly assigned to two groups: those in Group T (n=50) received a standard double-J-stent, while those in Group A (n=50) underwent implantation with anti-reflux ureteral stent. Follow up for 8 weeks after surgery, including reproductive hormones and inflammation marks, Beck's depression scale, IIEF and statistics on the frequency of symptoms such as hematuria.

Inclusion Criteria:

• male sexually active patients with unilateral ureteral calculi who underwent ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsy and needed post-procedure stent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients were excluded if they included the following criteria: (1) age under 18 or over 50 years, (2) history of previous ureteral stenting, (3) bilateral stents, (4) moderate or severe ureteral stricture need long-term stenting (on regular exchange), (5) bladder pathology and overactive bladder, (6) symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia, (7) moderate or severe urinary tract infection, (8) moderate or severe cardiovascular disease, hepatic dysfunction and diabetes, (9) previous use of selective alpha-1-blocker and/or antimuscarinic agent, (10) pre-op IIEF-5 ≤ 21.