Q: I am 31 years old male. I underwent an operation for renal calculi in the right kidney through endoscopy. The doctor had inserted a stent for 6 weeks. It's now almost 8 weeks and I'm feeling pain in my back and a burning sensation while passing urine. I want to get this stent removed. I want to know that how this can be done? In the previous operation I was given anaesthesia in my back. Will they follow a similar process this time as well or is there some other way they can try?

A:Urinary stent is a tube made of biologically acceptable material, placed between the kidney and the bladder after a surgery. It is usually removed after 2 to 4 weeks of placement, though may be kept in place upto 3 months, beyond which it may get encrusted with stone material. Mechanical irritation of the foreign body itself, presence of infection or its encrustation may cause urinary symptoms, like yours. It is removed via natural urethral route by inserting an endoscope. The procedure may be done under local anaesthesia if the endoscope diameter is small, and it is flexible. If planned to be removed by a rigid instrument of bigger size, it is usually advisable to carry the procedure under short general anaesthesia.