Black Star - Magnetic Stent Removal in Transplant Patients

To curtail the pain and discomfort during cystoscopic stent removal and in order to improve patient's quality of life, a newly developed ureteral stent with a small magnet at its distal end and a customized magnetic retrieval catheter is recently used in Europe. The product is Black-Star® with a retrieval device by Urotech (Achenmühle, Germany). The magnetic Blackstar stent is a ureteral stent with a small magnet fixed with a string at the distal loop. The placement of stent is similar as routinely done on a guidewire, the only difference is to include the magnetic piece over the guidewire. To remove the stent a customized catheter with a magnetic Tiemann tip is used. The catheter is inserted after urethral application of a standard lubricant and removed with the stent after coming in contact with the stent's magnet. The stent comes in various sizes and is currently being used in Europe. The studies have concluded fast and easy retrieval of stent without requirement of cystoscopy and decreased patient discomfort.