Retraction Device Improves Blocked Urine Flow

A new implanted suture-based system helps men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) urinate more freely by pulling back the prostate tissue that presses on the urethra.

The UroLift system is a permanent implant designed to relieve low or blocked urine flow in men age 50 and older with an enlarged prostate. The procedure involves an inserter that is pushed through the urethra into the prostate gland to deploy flexible sutures; the sutures extend through the prostate itself to retract the obstructing prostatic lobes from the urethra, and are held in place by toggles at each end, without incisions, surgical resection, or thermal injury to the prostate.


The procedure involves the insertion of the UroLift delivery device transurethrally through a rigid sheath under cystoscopic visualization to reach the targeted area of obstruction. The device is then used to retract the obstructing prostatic lobes and deliver the permanent retraction implant. The physician then removes the delivery device and sheath, leaving an expanded urethral lumen. The exact number of implants required can vary, depending on the size and shape of the prostatic obstruction. The UroLift system is a product of NeoTract (Pleasanton, CA, USA), and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“The UroLift provides a less invasive alternative to treating BPH than surgery,” said Christy Foreman, director of the office of device evaluation at the FDA. “This device also may offer relief to men who cannot tolerate available drug therapies.”

More than half of all men in their sixties and as many as 90% of men in their seventies and eighties have some symptoms of BPH such as more frequent urination with hesitant, interrupted, or weak stream and urgency and leaking. Severe BPH can lead to more serious problems over time, such as strain on the bladder, urinary tract infections, bladder or kidney damage, bladder stones, and incontinence. Current treatment options to relieve symptoms associated with BPH include drug therapy or surgical procedures, including removal of the enlarged part of the prostate.

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