Adjustable continence balloons benefit continence patients after prostatectomy

France: In individuals with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after radical prostatectomy, the minimally invasive adjustable continence therapy (ProACT) device gives a clear benefit in continence, says an article published in Neurourology and Urodynamics. The study showed that severe SUI or prior radiotherapy were associated with a lower success rate. 

Despite improved surgical methods, the rising frequency of radical prostatectomies results in a growing number of individuals suffering from postprostatectomy stress incontinence. As a result, Hélène Ricard and her colleagues designed this study to evaluate the mid-term safety and effectiveness of ProACT for the treatment of male stress urinary incontinence (SUI) following radical prostatectomy (RP).

This was single-center retrospective research that included male patients who had ProACT periurethral balloons implanted for SUI after RP between 2007 and 2017, primarily under flexible cystoscopic guidance. A composite endpoint including subjective (patient's impression of improvement (PII) on a 0–100 numerical rating scale) and objective outcomes was used to measure efficacy (decrease in daily pad use). The usage of 0–1 pad daily was connected with postoperative success, which was defined as a PII of less than 80%. A PII of 50 percent and a reduction of 50 percent in the number of daily pads needed were considered improvements.