Convertible Catheter Opens Ureteral Obstructions

An innovative nephroureteral stent (NS) system keeps the ureter patent, without the need for additional interventional procedures.

The ConvertX NS system for the treatment of ureteral obstructions enables interventional radiologists to eliminate a second invasive procedure to treat the patient. In conventional treatment, two separate interventional procedures are needed to treat the obstruction. The first uses standard interventional radiology techniques to insert a percutaneous nephrostomy catheter through the patient’s flank into the kidney; a drainage bag is then attached to the catheter. The second procedure, conducted 3–14 days later, involves removing the catheter and placing a NS to allow urine to be naturally voided.


The ConvertX System, in contrast, is implanted only once, and converts from a catheter to a NS in a brief office procedure, without the need for radiation or sedation, and all in under one minute. The ConvertX Stent then remains implanted in the patient, just like a standard internal ureteral stent. The ConvertX NS System is a product of BrightWater Medical (Murrieta, CA, USA), and has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Ureteral blockages due to kidney stones, tumors, or scarring from previous surgeries must be treated quickly so urine can be voided,” said Professor Bob Smouse, MD, founder and CEO of BrightWater Medical. “The ConvertX System saves the patient the risk and discomfort of an additional second interventional procedure and may reduce healthcare costs, free up the hospital’s angio suite for other procedures and save the IR procedural time that can be devoted to care of other patients.”

“The ConvertX System is the kind of technology advancement that we require to meet the dual goals of improving patient care and reducing the financial burden to the health care system,” said clinical associate professor of radiology James Benenati, MD, of the University of South Florida (USF, Tampa, USA). “Interventional radiology enables patients with severe ureteral blockages to be quickly treated, and technologies like the ConvertX platform provide the IR with simpler, more cost-effective solutions.”

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BrightWater Medical
University of South Florida