OBJECTIVES - To evaluate changes of the urethral pressure profile (UPP) after implantation of ProACT, a minimally invasive procedure in which two volume adjustable balloons are placed periurethrally for treatment of male stress urinary incontinence.
The working mechanism of the ProACT to achieve continence has not been fully understood. We hypothesized that successful treatment with ProACT improves urinary continence by inducing a significant increase in static urethral pressure.
METHODS - We included patients who underwent UPP before and after ProACT implantation. UPPs were initially performed with the Brown-Wickham water perfusion method and later with the T-DOC(®) Air-Charged™ catheter method. Pre- and postoperative UPPs and International Prostate Symptom Scores (IPSS) were evaluated. UPP measurements of successfully (no or one precautionary pad per day) and unsuccessfully treated patients were compared.
RESULTS - 27 patients were included in the study, 23 were successfully and 4 patients were unsuccessfully treated. Maximum Urethral Closure Pressure (MUCP) increased significantly from median 58.0 to 79.0 cm H2O in the successfully treated group (P = 0.001). Within the subgroup of unsuccessfully treated patients MUCP did not change significantly (P = 0.715). The change in MUCP was statistically significantly different between the successful and unsuccessful group (P = 0.034). IPSS total score did not change significantly after ProACT implantation (P = 0.097).
CONCLUSIONS - Successful treatment with ProACT is associated with a significant increase of MUCP. This implies that increased static urethral pressure contributes to the working mechanism of the ProACT device to achieve continence.
Urology. 2016 Apr 26 [Epub ahead of print]
Sarah H M Reuvers, Jan Groen, Jeroen R Scheepe, Bertil F M Blok
Department of Urology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Department of Urology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands., Department of Urology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands., Department of Urology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.