Journal of endourology
October 12, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Optilume Drug-Coated Balloon for Bladder Neck Contracture Following Pulsed Thulium:YAG Laser Enucleation of the Prostate: A Single-Institution Retrospective Case Series.
Sofinowski TM, Holler G, Fiscus G, Springhart WP, Large T.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
Optilume drug-coated balloon after laser scar incision appeared safe with encouraging short-term patency for bladder neck contracture after thulium laser enucleation.
What was studied
Retrospective single-centre series of 10 patients with bladder neck contracture after p-ThuLEP treated with laser incision plus Optilume dilation.
Key findings
- No patient needed reintervention at median follow-up of 5.2 months
- Cystoscopy in 5 of 10 showed a patent bladder neck; median Qmax was 14.1 mL/s and PVR 23.5 mL
- Thirty-day complications in 2 patients (20%), both Clavien-Dindo II
Clinical relevance
May offer an option for a recurrent-prone complication, but evidence is preliminary.
Who should care
Limitations
Only 10 patients, short follow-up (shorter than the median time to contracture presentation), retrospective and no control group.
Encouraging early signal; durability not shown.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Purpose
Bladder neck contracture (BNC) following anatomical endoscopic enucleation of the prostate (AEEP) occurs in approximately 3% of cases and carries high recurrence rates after standard endoscopic management. The Optilume drug-coated balloon (DCB) delivers paclitaxel at dilation but has not been reported for post-enucleation BNC. We describe the first such series following pulsed thulium laser enucleation of the prostate (p-ThuLEP).
Patients and methods
We retrospectively reviewed 10 consecutive patients with cystoscopically confirmed BNC after p-ThuLEP at a single high-volume center (IRB 2425566-1). All underwent laser enucleation of bladder neck scar followed by Optilume DCB dilation. Data were abstracted from the electronic health record.
Results
Median age was 74 years (range 59-89). Median pre-p-ThuLEP prostate volume was 80 cc (range 36-100, n = 8). BNC presented at a median of 5.8 months after p-ThuLEP (range 2.7-12.0). A 36F balloon was used in nine patients and a 26F balloon in one, at 8 to 11 atm for 5 minutes. At a median follow-up of 5.2 months (range 0.9-15.1), no patient required reintervention (0% recurrence). Cystoscopy, performed in 5 of 10 on clinical indication, showed a patent bladder neck in all. Median post-procedure Qmax was 14.1 mL/s (n = 7), and post-void residual was 23.5 mL (n = 10). Thirty-day complications after Optilume occurred in two patients (20%), both Clavien-Dindo Grade II: gross hematuria with clot retention managed by continuous bladder irrigation and urinary tract infection.
Conclusions
Optilume DCB following laser enucleation of post-p-ThuLEP BNC appears safe and feasible with encouraging short-term patency. Median follow-up (5.2 months) is shorter than the median interval to BNC presentation (5.8 months); thus, these short-term data do not establish durability. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of Optilume DCB outcomes for BNC specifically following AEEP. A prospective cohort trial with longer follow-up is warranted.
DOI
10.1177/08927790261497133
PMID
42861848
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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