[The first experience of clinical use of optical urethral catheter Visus MG]

Introduction: The most reliable method for bladder catheterization when necessary is to put a urethral catheter under visual control. However, this requires endoscopic equipment and transportation of patient to a cystoscopy unit or operating room, which is not always possible. To solve these problems, we have developed the optical urethral catheter Visus MG.

Aim: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new optical urethral catheter with a portable endoscopic complex.

Materials and methods: The prospective single-center clinical study included men, in whom the first bladder catheterization with a soft urethral catheter was impossible. They underwent insertion of the optical urethral Visus MG catheter under visual control.

Results: A total of 60 men were included in the study. The median age was 70 years, the average prostate volume was 40 cc. Successful repeated catheterization was performed in 57/60 (95%) patients. In 5% cases (n=3), bladder catheterization was unsuccessful due to urethral obliteration. In 53 (88.3%) men, various surgical methods or manipulations were previously performed, including temporary bladder catheterization in most cases (n=16; 30.7%). The cause of failure of primary catheterization were urethral strictures in 19 (31.7%), benign prostatic hyperplasia in 9 (15%), false passage in 10 (16.7%), bladder neck sclerosis in 10 (16.7%), urethal obliteration in 3 (5%), and the foreign body in the urethra in 1 case (1.7%). In 6 (10%) men, there were signs of iatrogenic urethral trauma with urethrorrhagia due to previous attempts of catheterization, which, however, did not prevent a placement of the urethral catheter under vision control in safe manner.

Conclusion: Bladder catheterization with an optical urethral catheter Visus MG with a portable endoscopic complex was successful in 57/60 (95%) patients after failed primary catheterization, which indicates the high efficiency of the method. The advantages of the technology are its portability, mobility and direct visualization of the urethra.