Indwelling angiographic catheters to facilitate placement of ureteric stents.

In 16 of 191 patients the initial attempt to place a double-pigtail internal ureteric stent by conventional methods was unsuccessful. These patients had cancers of the rectum (nine patients), bladder (two patients), vagina (one patient), cervix (one patient) or spermatic cord (one patient) or radiation strictures (two patients). When a guide wire could be advanced beyond the stricture, placement of a small angiographic catheter for 7 to 10 days allowed delayed placement of the stent in all but one case.