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Changing a ureteric stent: timing, the procedure and missed dates | CION Cancer Clinics
Most standard DJ stents are changed or removed within months, and some longer-life types stay in for longer. Your urologist sets the date. A stent left too long can crust, block and cause a kidney infection, so the date matters even when you feel well. This page explains what decides the interval, what happens during a change, and what to do if symptoms start early. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MI
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mohammed ImaduddinConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Surgical Oncology) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- How often does a DJ stent need changing?
- Why is your interval different from someone else's?
- What happens when the stent is changed?
- What do the words on the booking form mean?
- What if the stent cannot be changed the usual way?
- What do families often assume about stent changes?
- Common questions about changing a ureteric stent
The short answer
How often does a DJ stent need changing?
Most standard DJ stents are changed or removed within months, and some longer-life types can stay for up to about a year. Your urologist sets the exact date for your stent. When cancer is still pressing on the ureter, the stent is usually changed on a regular cycle for as long as the blockage lasts.
Why a stent cannot stay in for good
Urine carries salts that slowly settle on any tube left inside the body. Over time this crust narrows the stent and can block it. The material itself also becomes stiffer and more brittle. A stent left too long can block, cause repeated infection, or become stuck so firmly that taking it out needs a bigger procedure.
Why dates get missed
People with cancer are often juggling chemotherapy, scans and visits to several doctors. The stent change is easy to lose track of, especially once the discomfort has settled. Families sometimes assume another department is keeping count. Often nobody is, unless you ask.
Write the change date on the discharge summary and in your phone. Ask who books it before you leave hospital.What sets the date
Why is your interval different from someone else's?
Two people with the same stent can be given very different dates. These are the things the urologist weighs.
The type of stent
Standard polymer stents are meant for shorter use. Some stents are made to last longer before they stiffen or crust. The packet and the operation note state which one you have.
How fast crust builds up
Some people form crust quickly, and their stents need changing sooner.
More likely with
- A history of kidney stones
- Repeated urine infections
- Low fluid intake
What is causing the blockage
If treatment shrinks the tumour, the stent may be removed for good. If the pressure stays, changes continue on a cycle.
The rest of your treatment
Changes are timed around chemotherapy, so they avoid days when your blood counts are low. Kidney blood tests may bring a change forward.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistOn the day
What happens when the stent is changed?
Tests beforehand
A urine test checks for infection, and a blood test checks kidney function and clotting. If you take a blood thinner, your doctors will tell you whether anything changes. Do not stop it yourself.
The anaesthetic
Most changes are done under a short general anaesthetic or spinal anaesthetic. Some centres do simple changes with local anaesthetic jelly. You will be told not to eat for some hours first.
Old stent out, new stent in
A thin camera tube, a cystoscope, passes into the bladder through the urethra. There are no cuts. The old stent is pulled out, and a new one is guided into place using X-ray pictures.
Going home
Many people go home the same day. Some burning and pink urine for a day or two is common. You will be given the date for the next change.
On your paperwork
What do the words on the booking form mean?
- DJ or JJ stent
- A double-J stent. The name comes from the curl at each end, which holds it between the kidney and the bladder.
- Cystoscopy
- Looking inside the bladder with a thin camera tube. It is how most stents are removed and replaced.
- Retrograde stent exchange
- Changing the stent from below, through the bladder. This is the usual route.
- Encrustation
- Crust of urine salts on the stent. Heavy crusting can make removal harder.
- Hydronephrosis
- Swelling of the kidney because urine cannot drain. It is often the reason the stent was placed.
- Nephrostomy
- A tube passed through the skin of the back straight into the kidney, draining into a bag.
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Do not wait for the change date if this happens
A fever with shivering, pain in the side that keeps getting worse, passing very little urine, or heavy bleeding with clots can mean the stent has blocked and the kidney is infected. Go to the nearest emergency department the same day. Say that a ureteric stent is in place and when it was last changed. An early change may be needed.
When it is not routine
What if the stent cannot be changed the usual way?
Most changes are straightforward. In some people, the tumour has grown in a way that makes it hard to pass a new stent up from the bladder. The team then looks at other ways to keep the kidney draining.
A tube through the back
A nephrostomy tube is placed through the skin into the kidney by a radiologist, using a scan to guide the needle. Urine drains into a bag. Sometimes a new stent can then be passed down from the kidney, and the bag removed later. A nephrostomy suits people in whom the route from below is blocked, or who are too unwell for a change in theatre. It does not suit everyone, because living with a bag is harder for some families.
Longer-life stents
Stents designed to stay in longer can reduce how often changes are needed. They are not right for every blockage, and not every centre uses them. Ask your urologist whether one has been considered, and why or why not.
What the page cannot tell you
How long you will need stent changes depends on your cancer and how it responds to treatment. Nobody can predict that from the stent alone.
Commonly believed
What do families often assume about stent changes?
"We will change it once the chemotherapy is finished."
A course of treatment can run past the safe life of the stent. The change can usually be fitted between cycles. Tell both teams about each other's dates so they can plan together.
"Each change means a big operation."
Most changes are done through the urethra with no cuts, often as a day-care procedure. Recovery is usually quick. The first placement is often the harder one.
"If the kidney tests are normal, the stent is fine."
Normal kidney tests are reassuring, but a stent can be crusting without changing them yet. The date still applies, even when the blood results look good.
"Needing stent changes means the cancer is getting worse."
Changes are needed because stents wear out, not because of anything new. They tell you nothing on their own about how the cancer is behaving.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about changing a ureteric stent
What happens if a DJ stent is not changed on time?
It may be fine for a short while, but the risk grows the longer it stays. The stent can crust, block and cause a kidney infection. A badly crusted stent may need more than one procedure to remove. If you have missed a date, call the urologist's clinic now rather than waiting for symptoms.
Is changing a stent painful?
You will be under anaesthetic or given numbing jelly, so the change itself should not hurt. Afterwards, a burning feeling when passing urine and some pink urine are common for a day or two. Simple pain relief prescribed by your doctor usually settles it.
Do I need to stay in hospital?
Most people go home the same day. An overnight stay may be advised if the change was difficult, if you have an infection, or if you live far from the hospital. Arrange for someone to take you home, because you should not drive after an anaesthetic.
Can the stent be taken out without a new one?
Yes, if the blockage has cleared. A scan or a kidney test before the change helps decide this. Sometimes the stent is removed and you are watched closely for a few weeks. If the kidney swells again, a new stent can be placed.
Should I stop my blood thinner before the change?
Do not stop, start or change any medicine on your own. Aspirin, clopidogrel, warfarin and newer blood thinners are handled differently. Your urologist, and the doctor who prescribed the medicine, will decide together and tell you exactly what to do before the procedure.
Can a stent change be done during chemotherapy?
Usually, yes. The team times it for a point in the cycle when your blood counts have recovered, to lower the risk of infection. Tell your oncologist when the change is booked, and tell the urologist your chemotherapy dates.
Who keeps track of when my stent is due?
Ideally, the urology team that placed it. In practice, patients with several doctors can fall through the gaps. Keep the date yourself, ask for a reminder, and mention the stent at every hospital visit. Families who keep one written record find it much easier.
Will Aarogyasri or insurance cover repeat changes?
Often yes, when the stent is part of cancer care. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS and EHS are accepted, and most cashless insurers are empanelled. Rules on repeat procedures vary by scheme and policy. Call the helpline with your card details and we will check your cover.
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Sources
- NHS — Cystoscopy
- National Cancer Institute — Definition of stent
- NHS — Kidney infection
- Cancer Research UK — Bladder cancer
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
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