Fourteen case series (n=839) were included in the review .
The studies were small with less than 50 participants in 11 of the included case series. Most of the included studies were deemed to be of a poor quality with often unclear or inadequate follow-up. Only 5 studies provided estimates of the statistical uncertainty of their results.
All 14 studies reported treatment failure; immediate failure occurred in 4% (11 out of 311) of patients. The frequency of subsequent failure could not be established because of insufficient information. Treatment failure rates ranged from 0 to 48%, but the duration of follow-up was often unclear. Seven studies reported changes in urological symptom score (using at least two different measures and at different times after stent placement); all studies reported a reduction in symptoms after stenting. All 7 studies reporting on maximum urinary flow rates found that these increased. All 4 studies reporting on residual urine volume found a decrease. The most commonly reported minor complications were urinary incontinence, infection and haematuria. However, complications were inconsistently reported and little information was given about the timing of these events.