Assessing Quality of Life Outcomes with Tolterodine Treatment in Double J Stent Patients

Abstract

Background: Double-J ureteral stents are associated with urinary symptoms and impaired daily functioning. This study examined short-term patient-reported outcomes among adults prescribed tolterodine following stent placement. Methods: A six-month, single-centre observational study at the S. S. Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Davanagere, included 55 adults with renal or ureteric calculi who underwent double-J stenting and were prescribed tolterodine. An investigator-developed 23-item questionnaire informed by the King’s Health Questionnaire was administered after stenting and at one and two weeks. Descriptive outcomes and reported within-patient paired comparisons were examined. Results: Mean composite scores (mean ± SD) were 31.02 ± 7.54 following stenting, 14.73 ± 6.57 at one week, and 1.80 ± 2.43 at two weeks. These means represent decreases of 52.5% and 94.2% from the initial post-stent assessment. Paired comparisons were reported as p < .001. The absence of a comparison group and incomplete information on outcome validation, concurrent treatment, and stent status preclude attribution of these changes to tolterodine. Conclusion: Self-reported symptom and functioning scores decreased markedly over two weeks in this treated cohort. Controlled studies using validated ureteral-stent outcome instruments are needed to estimate the drug-specific contribution.