Patients and Method
This multicentric, retrospective study was carried out after approval
was given by the Ethics Committee of Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University
(approval no: 2019/14). The number of patients was determined by power
analysis. Demographic and clinical data of patients who underwent
unilateral JJ stent placement after ureteroscopic stone surgery (USS)
were evaluated. Because patients with JJ stents show a marked increase
in SRS score from the seventh postoperative day [14, 15], all
participants were assessed for the presence of SRS at least one week
after the surgery, called the “first control visit.” Patients were
given the validated Turkish version of the USSQ, which consists of six
main domains: urinary symptoms, body pain, general health, work
performance, sexual matters, and additional problems. The scores of each
domain were summed, and the higher the total score, the higher the
severity of SRS-related discomfort. Patients were given 50 mg of
mirabegron once a day to relieve SRS from the first control visit and
continued for at least three weeks until stent removal. Each patient was
examined by a urologist to rule out urinary tract infection (UTI) and
SRS before the JJ stent removal. The JJ stent was removed endoscopically
after kidney-ureter-bladder (KUB) X-ray films were performed. The
patient completed the USSQ-T form before stent removal. The design of
the study is summarized in Figure 1.