-Report on Experiments and Clinical Cases-

Memokath^TM Urethral Stents Induce Incontinence in Patients with Urethral Balloon Catheters

Ryo Takahashi, Ryoji Kimata, Tsutomu Hamasaki, Yuriko Kawarasaki and Yukihiro Kondo

Department of Urology, Nippon Medical School

Objective: With an aging society, elderly patients increasingly require long-term placement of urethral balloon catheters. In this study, we investigated if Memokath^TM urethral stents, when inserted from the bladder neck to distal to the urethral sphincter in elderly men being treated with urethral balloon catheters, induce incontinence, which would then be managed with adult briefs.
Patients and Methods: Of all outpatients who were being managed with urethral balloon catheters at our institution from September 2011 through March 2012, 4 patients who had had problems with the catheters were included in the study. Exclusion criteria were a performance status of 1 or 2 and the ability to urinate after standard placement of the stent. After application of local anesthesia to the urethra, the Memokath^TM stent was placed distal to the urethral sphincter under radiographic guidance in all patients.
Results: After stent placement, all patients had total incontinence and were catheter-free. Although 2 patients were receiving anticoagulant therapy before the procedure, no intraprocedural or postprocedural anticoagulant-related complications were noted.
Conclusions: Memokath^TM stent-induced incontinence is a safe and effective treatment for patients requiring long-term placement of urethral balloon catheters who are expected to have continuing urination difficulties.

J Nippon Med Sch 2013; 80: 433-437

Keywords
urethral strictures, balloon catheters, urethral stents, Memokath^TM, incontinence

Correspondence to
Ryo Takahashi, MD, Department of Urology, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8603, Japan
s7053@nms.ac.jp

Received, March 19, 2013
Accepted, May 22, 2013