Step 1: Note the shape and path. The film reveals a thin radiopaque line with characteristic curled tips that follows the ureter from the kidney down to the bladder.
Step 2: Name it. That double-J or pig-tailed configuration is diagnostic of a ureteric stent, a urological catheter anchored above in the renal pelvis and below in the bladder to maintain urine drainage. Common indications include obstruction from stones, malignant compression, benign strictures and retroperitoneal fibrosis.
Step 3: Exclude alternatives. Surgical clips appear as short dense dots, a Foley shows a balloon within the bladder, and an intravesical wire stays inside the bladder. None trace the ureter with curled ends.
The J-shaped ureteric tube settles the diagnosis.\[\boxed{\text{Stent}}\]