It is a common practice to place a ureteral stent after a ureteroscopy procedure. The stents are often kept in place for only few weeks and patients are appointed to return to the clinic for stent removal. There is often an associated extra cost during the removal which is done using a cystoscope.

What if ureteral stents with strings are routinely used after URS so that they can be easily removed by pulling the distal end? Won't they minimize instrument related complications like UTI and urethral stricture? How about their impact on the extra cost incurred on the patients during the conventional method of removal?