June is Men’s Health Month, a time to encourage men to take care of their health and bodies. Dr. Charles Osterberg, Chief of Urology at Ascension Seton, offers a new minimally invasive surgery available at Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas.
Minimally Invasive Optilume:
The urethra's main job in males and females is to pass urine outside the body. When a scar from swelling, injury or infection blocks or slows the flow of urine in this tube, it is called a urethral stricture. Urethral stricture affects men about one in every 10,000 at 25 years old, to about one in every 1,000 men at 65 or older. Historically, dilation or surgery was required to treat the stricture. Today, a new minimally invasive option is available to patients.
Optilume’s balloon technology was developed in response to patient and physician dissatisfaction with current endoscopic solutions for urethral strictures. This innovative technology represents a paradigm change from the methods currently used by urologists to treat these conditions and provides a durable, minimally invasive treatment option for millions of patients suffering from these conditions.
The balloon expands the tissue creating a mechanical balloon dilation effect rupturing the urethral mucosa and allowing direct, circumferential drug delivery to the affected area.
Rapid uptake of the highly lipophilic drug, paclitaxel, limits hyperactive cell proliferation and the fibrotic scar tissue generation that results in stricture recurrence, providing superior results vs standard of care endoscopic management. Optilume has an 83 percent chance that no additional intervention will be necessary up to one year following treatment.
