You might be taken aback to learn that stent placement and removal involves inserting a camera into your body! While it might sound intense, there’s no reason for alarm. Dr. Michael Palese, Chairman of Urology for Mount Sinai Downtown and Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York, walks us through the basics of cystoscopies and stents.

“A cystoscopy is a procedure where a camera (known as a cystoscope) is inserted through your urethra and into the bladder. It allows urologists to get a better visualization of your urinary system. With the help of a cystoscope, urologists can treat diseases inside the bladder; inside the prostate for men, and in the urethra for women.”