Ureteral stent for placement in a kidney and bladder

Abstract

Provided is a ureteral stent for placement in a bladder, a kidney and a ureteral passageway connecting the bladder and the kidney. The ureteral stent includes a solid bladder portion free of a lumen positionable in the bladder, a tubular kidney portion positionable in the kidney and the ureteral passageway, and a tether connecting the bladder portion and the ureter portion to allow the bladder portion to float in the bladder and to allow a ureter orifice connecting the ureteral passageway to the bladder to move between a compressed state and an uncompressed state. By not having a lumen, the solid bladder portion allows the bladder to have a smaller diameter while maintaining a necessary uncoil force. The smaller diameter also allows the bladder portion to be inserted into a scope alongside a pusher tube, thereby avoiding loading the bladder portion onto a guidewire.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A stent assembly including:
 a ureteral stent for placement in a bladder, a kidney and a ureteral passageway connecting the bladder and the kidney, the ureteral stent including:
 a solid bladder coil free of a lumen, the solid bladder coil being positionable in the bladder to prevent the bladder coil from migrating into the ureteral passageway; 
 a tubular kidney member positionable in the kidney and the ureteral passageway; and 
 a tether connecting the solid bladder coil and the kidney member to allow the solid bladder coil to float in the bladder and to allow a ureter orifice connecting the ureteral passageway to the bladder to move between a compressed state and an uncompressed state; and 
   a pusher tube for inserting the stent into the kidney, ureteral passageway and bladder, the pusher tube having a first end configured to abut an end of the tubular kidney member and a second end opposite the first end.   
     
     
         2 . The stent assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the pusher tube has a band proximate the first end, and wherein the pusher tube is configured to be inserted into the ureteral passageway until the band is at the ureteral orifice. 
     
     
         3 . The stent assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the tether is received in an opening of the tubular kidney member such that a first portion of the tether is outside the tubular kidney member and a second portion is inside the tubular kidney member, and wherein the tether has first and second ends coupled to an end of the solid bladder coil. 
     
     
         4 . The stent assembly according to  claim 3 , wherein the first and second ends of the tether are coupled to the solid bladder coil by melting the first and second ends of the tether to the end of the solid bladder coil. 
     
     
         5 . The stent assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the solid bladder coil has a first end and a second end, and wherein the solid bladder coil has an eyelet at the second end for receiving a second tether for removing the ureteral stent from a patient. 
     
     
         6 . The stent assembly according to  claim 5 , wherein the eyelet is integrally formed at the second end. 
     
     
         7 . The stent assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the solid bladder coil has a diameter in the range of about 0.025 inches to about 0.050 inches to allow the solid bladder coil to be inserted into the bladder alongside a stent pusher. 
     
     
         8 . The stent assembly according to  claim 7 , wherein the solid bladder coil has a diameter less than or equal to about 0.035 inches. 
     
     
         9 . The stent assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the pusher tube has a diameter of about 7 French and the solid bladder coil has a diameter less than or equal to about 0.035 inches. 
     
     
         10 . A stent assembly including:
 a ureteral stent for placement in a bladder, a kidney and a ureteral passageway connecting the bladder and the kidney, the ureteral stent including:
 a solid bladder coil positionable in the bladder to prevent the solid bladder coil from migrating into the ureteral passageway; 
 a tubular kidney member positionable in the kidney and the ureteral passageway, the tubular kidney member having a ureter portion configured to be positioned in the kidney and the ureteral passageway to place the ureteral passageway in an open state and a resilient fixing portion biased in an unrestrained position to secure the resilient fixing portion in the kidney; and 
 a tether connecting the solid bladder coil and the ureter portion to allow the solid bladder coil to float in the bladder and to allow a ureter orifice connecting the ureteral passageway to the bladder to move between a compressed state and an uncompressed state; and 
   a pusher tube for inserting the stent into the kidney, ureteral passageway and bladder, the pusher tube having a first end configured to abut an end of the ureter portion and a second end opposite the first end,   wherein the pusher tube has a first diameter, the kidney portion has a second diameter less than the first diameter, and the bladder portion has a third diameter less than the second diameter.   
     
     
         11 . The stent assembly according to  claim 10 , wherein the first diameter and the third diameter combined are less than a diameter of a channel of a cystoscope. 
     
     
         12 . The stent assembly according to  claim 10 , wherein the pusher tube has a band proximate the first end, and wherein the pusher tube is configured to be inserted into the ureteral passageway until the band is at the ureteral orifice. 
     
     
         13 . The stent assembly according to  claim 12 , wherein the band is a distance from the first end substantially equal to a length of the tether from the end of the ureter portion to the solid bladder coil. 
     
     
         14 . The stent assembly according to  claim 10 , wherein the first end of the pusher tube has the first diameter and the second end of the pusher tube has a fourth diameter less than the first diameter. 
     
     
         16 . The stent assembly according to  claim 10 , wherein the pusher tube has a diameter of about 7 French and the solid bladder coil has a diameter less than or equal to about 0.035 inches. 
     
     
         17 . A method for positioning a ureteral stent in a kidney, ureteral passageway, and bladder using a pusher tube, the ureteral stent including a bladder coil, a kidney member, and a tether connecting the bladder coil and the kidney member, the method including:
 advancing a guidewire into the bladder, the ureteral passageway, and the kidney;   advancing the kidney member over the guidewire;   advancing the pusher tube over the guidewire until a first end of the pusher tube abuts a second end of the kidney member; and   advancing the pusher tube towards the kidney until the kidney member is disposed in the kidney and ureteral passageway and the first end of the pusher tube is in the ureteral passageway a distance substantially equal to a length of the tether from the second end of the kidney member to a first end of the bladder coil to which the tether is connected.   
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17 , further including withdrawing the stent pusher and guidewire from the patient thereby allowing the kidney member to move to an unrestrained position to secure the kidney portion in the kidney. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the pusher tube has a first diameter, the kidney portion has a second diameter less than the first diameter, and the bladder portion has a third diameter less than the second diameter. 
     
     
         20 . The stent assembly according to  claim 19 , wherein the first diameter and the third diameter combined are less than a diameter of a channel of a cystoscope.