DJ Stenting Surgery

What is a DJ Stent?

DJ stent is short for ‘Double J stent’. This is a small tube that is placed in the body from the kidney to the urinary bladder. This is kept for around 6 weeks. The lower portion is in the urinary bladder and is shaped as ‘J’ while the upper portion is like a mirror image. The shape helps in retaining the stent in the body.

What does the DJ stent do?

• The ureter will remain open all the time.
• It has multiple holes and even if there is a block in the path urine can travel through these holes and prevent back pressure changes and kidney destruction.
• It prevents narrowing or strictures during the healing process. If there is obstruction or injury due to the stone the healing process would narrow down the tube.
• This will help the kidney to push the stone. The DJ is referred to as foreign substance and the body will push it which makes it easier and this will help the stone to come out.
• From the kidney, it will flush the stone. When the person moves or runs it creates movement in the kidney which makes the stone come out easily.

What are the uses of DJ Stents?

• Help in breaking stone in the middle or upper calyces, and renal pelvis.
• Used as a precautionary measure in retroperitoneal surgery like for patients diagnosed with uterus cancer.
• To ease out the process of medium and small-sized stones to pass from the kidney. Kidney stone of around 7 to 12 mm would pass on by themselves, specifically if you are taking enough water.
• After breaking ureteric stone it makes it easier for the fragments to pass and stops stricture formation.
• Special kinds of DJ stents are used following the surgery of endoscopic for hydronephrosis

What is the process of doing DJ Stenting?

DJ stenting is done by giving the patient spinal anesthesia. Local anesthesia is possible for the women as there are no pain nerves in the bladder and the kidney distention is painful. For the procedure, the cystoscope is used. First of all, the guidewire is passed through the ureter to the kidney. The DJ stent is passed to the guide wide and pusher is used to push it in.

What are the important precautions you need to take?

• You must drink enough water or fluid so that you can pass 3 liters of urine every day. This will solve the purpose for which the stent is placed.
• In the starting stage, you can have some discomfort. With the placement of DJ stents, some reflux can result in funny sensations.
• When the fragments come down to the ureter, the patient can have some pain in the back.
• Stones will get deposited over the stent if the person does not take the required amount of water in a day, and it can result in encrustations.