Urinary symptoms and pain associated with indwelling ureteral stents interfere with daily activities and result in reduced quality of life in up to 80% of patients. Stents are associated with negative functional capacity and reduced utility values. The results have implications in terms of routine clinical practice, patient counseling and future stent research.

Indwelling ureteral stents have a significant impact on health related quality of life. The new USSQ is a valid and reliable instrument that is expected to become a standard outcome measure to evaluate the impact and compare different types of stents.