Ureteral stents play an important role in the treatment of ureteral strictures. It supports the narrow urethra and ensures the smooth flow of urine, thus alleviating the impact of ureteral stricture on kidney function. Traditional ureteral stents are prone to complications such as stones, bacterial infections, inflammation, and restenosis when indwelling in the body. This paper reviews the performance requirements of ureteral stents, introduces ureteral stents of different structures, functions, materials, and preparation as well as processing techniques, and analyzes the key problems and future research directions of ureteral stents, which provides a reference basis for the research of ideal ureteral stents.