A Spanner™ in the works; the use of a new temporary urethral stent to relieve bladder outflow obstruction after prostate brachytherapy

Purpose: Assessment of the Spanner™, a new temporary urethral stent to relieve bladder outflow obstruction and urinary symptoms after brachytherapy. Methods and Materials: Five patients with unusually severe urinary morbidity after 125I brachytherapy were recruited. The mean time after implant was 40 days (range 25–90). Spanner™ intraprostatic stents were introduced using topical anesthetic without complication. Results: All patients were able to void spontaneously with no post-void residual volume of urine. The flow rates increased in all cases (p=0.03) and the International Prostate Symptom Scores were significantly improved after stent insertion in all patients (p=0.03). All patients experienced some degree of pain or dysuria during stent use. Conclusions: Bladder outflow obstruction was effectively treated with the Spanner™ intraprostatic stent, however pain limited the use of the device in the early post-brachytherapy patient group. Pharmacotherapy, stent design modification, or smaller stent diameter may increase the utility of stents after brachytherapy.