Leaving balloon in is safe in urinary sphincter revision

(HealthDay)—Intentionally leaving the pressure-regulating balloon in place during a non-infected artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) revision procedure is safe and is not associated with infection or complications, according to research published online Sept. 13 in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Tobias S. Köhler, M.D., M.P.H., of the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, and colleagues conducted a retrospective review to describe long-term outcomes in 35 patients with an artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) who underwent 36 AUS revisions. During the revisions, the original pressure-regulating balloon was left in place, while the defective cuff and pump were removed and replaced.

The researchers found that, after a mean follow-up of 14 months, 11 percent of patients in this revision series experienced a complication. However, no infections or complications occurred secondary to the retained pressure-regulating balloon.

"This series' data with short- to medium-term follow-up [indicate] that leaving the original fluid pressure-regulating balloon undisturbed during AUS revision in a non-infected setting safely avoids a potential counter incision and is not associated with intraoperative or postoperative complications," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the medical device industry.