Assessment of Encrustation on Ureteral Stents Retrieved from Patients (with Bern University Hospital)

Ureteral stents, once implanted in patients, are exposed to complex fluid dynamic and chemical (bacteria, crystals) environments. Current projects at UGE involve volumetric and chemical characterisations of encrustation (on ureteral stents retrieved from patients) by means of micro-computed tomography (µCT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively (see figure). These investigations aim at identifying the regions of the stents that are more prone to develop encrustation and the associated crystals