Placement of retrievable self-expandable metallic stents with barbs into patients with obstructive prostate cancer

Objectives To evaluate the technical feasibility and clinical effectiveness of retrievable self-expandable metallic stents with barbs in patients with obstructive prostate cancer. Methods Retrievable self-expandable metallic stents with eight barbs each were inserted into eight consecutive patients with obstructive prostate cancer. Patient ages ranged from 55 to 76 years (mean, 69 years). All eight patients had previously received hormone therapy, and three had undergone palliative transurethral prostatectomy. Stents were removed using a 21-F stent removal set if they caused complications. Results Stent placement was technically successful and well tolerated in all patients. One had severe incontinence, which improved spontaneously, and two had gross haematuria, which disappeared spontaneously within 4 days. Peak urine flow rates and post-void residual urine volumes 1 month after stent placement were 5.6–10.2 ml/s (mean, 8.3 ml/s), and 5–45 ml (mean, 27 ml), respectively. During a mean follow-up of 192 days (range, 39–632 days), one patient required stent removal after 232 days because of stone formation within the stent. No further intervention was required because the mass improved after stent removal. Conclusions These preliminary results suggest that retrievable stents with eight barbs are both feasible to place and effective in patients with obstructive prostate cancer. Key Points • Retrievable metallic urethral stents can help patients with obstructive prostate cancer. • Retrievable self-expandable stents with eight barbs are both feasible and effective. • These stents apparently overcome the problem of stent migration. • Removal of these stents was safe without surgery under local anaesthesia.