Patent ID: 8551182

Claim:
A urethral prosthetic for removing kidney stones, the urethral prosthetic comprising: a stent having a generally cylindrical shape and comprising a plurality of struts, a distal end and a proximal end, a distal section being biased to expand radially outward in a first configuration such that the distal end has an unobstructed flared opening configured to accept kidney stones and has a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the proximal end of the stent, and distal section being flexible so that it may to collapse radially in a second configuration such that the distal end has a diameter that is less than or equal to a diameter of the proximal end of the stent; a tubing attached to the stent, the tubing comprising an outer surface that is made of an atraumatic and biocompatible material; an inner surface that is made of a cushioned and lubricious material which defines an inner lumen of the tubing and has a length that is suitable to extend through an entire urethral canal from a bladder neck to a urethral exit of a patient's body; and a plurality of strands interwoven with the plurality of struts wherein each strand is intertwined with the plurality of struts, connects to the distal end of the stent, and extends along and is covered by the inner surface to emerge from a proximal end of the tubing such that pulling on proximal ends of the strands exerts a proximal pulling force on the distal end of the stent to collapse the stent from the first configuration to the second configuration.