Abstract
Introduction: Ureteral stents are widely used in the specialty of urology to preserve renal function and provide ureteral patency in cases of urolithiasis, strictures, malignancy, and trauma. This paper presents a novel application of prophylactic ureteral stents deployed under MRI-guidance for ureteral protection in the setting of in-bore salvage cryoablation therapy for recurrent and metastatic prostate cancer. This is the first known case series of ureteral stent placement using near real-time MRI. Materials and Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for all patients who underwent MRI-guided ureteral stent placement prior to in-bore cryoablation therapy from 2021 to 2022. Each case was managed by an interdisciplinary team of urologists and interventional radiologists. Preoperative and postoperative data were collected for descriptive analysis. Physics safety testing was conducted on the cystoscope and viewing apparatus prior to its implementation for stent deployment. Results: A total of seven males, mean age 73.4 years (range 65-81), underwent successful prophylactic, cystoscopic MRI-guided ureteral stent placement prior to cryoablation therapy of their prostate cancer. No intraoperative complications occurred. A Grade 2 postoperative complication of pyelonephritis and gross hematuria following stent removal occurred in one case. The majority of patients were discharged the same day as their procedure. Conclusions: This case series demonstrates the feasibility of in-bore cystoscopic aided MRI guidance for ureteral stent placement. Ureteral stents can be used to increase the safety margin of complex cryoablation treatments close to the ureter. Furthermore, by following the meticulous MRI safety protocols established by MRI facility safety design guidelines, MRI conditional tools can aid therapy in the burgeoning interventional MRI space.