Practices in urethral stricture management with drug-coated balloon dilatation: an international survey

PURPOSE: Drug-coated balloon (DCB) urethral dilatation which offers an alternative to standard endoscopic treatments of male anterior urethral stricture disease (AUSD). Its ease of delivery has facilitated its use by urologists with various subspecialty interests. The objective of this study was to characterise real-world practice patterns of a DCB device. METHODS: users via national and international urological societies and device distributor mailing lists. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed using SPSS software. RESULTS: N = 102 urologists responded to the survey of whom n = 47 (46%) were reconstructive subspecialists. DCB dilatation was predominantly performed under general anaesthesia (n = 59, 58%). Significant variation was seen with catheter duration, perioperative antibiotic use and post-procedure contraception advice. Off-label use was common with respondents offering DCB for penile urethral strictures (65%), primary treatment (64%) and bladder neck stenoses (65%). Higher-volume users (≥ 10/year) were more likely to perform DCB under flexible cystoscopy (OR 5.14, 95% 1.57-16.79, p = 0.007), bladder neck stricture (OR 4.66, 95% CI 1.55-14.03, p = 0.006), and for recurrences (OR 6.92, 95% CI 2.22-21.6, p = 0.001). Limited practitioner experience, an evidence gap, and the importance of shared decision making were highlighted on thematic analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an insight into the early experience a novel DCB among practicing urologists. Further research is required to optimize patient selection, procedural protocols and the understanding of long-term outcomes.

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Publication Details

Journal
World Journal of Urology
Published
2026-04-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-026-06343-y
Primary Topic
Urological Disorders and Treatments
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Practices in urethral stricture management with drug-coated balloon dilatation: an international survey

Łukasz Białek, Malte W. Vetterlein, Juan Diego Tinajero, Wesley Verla et al.
World Journal of Urology
Urological Disorders and Treatments
article

Practices in urethral stricture management with drug-coated balloon dilatation: an international survey

Łukasz Białek, Malte W. Vetterlein, Juan Diego Tinajero, Wesley Verla, Niall F. Davis, Leonidas Karapanos, Mikołaj Frankiewicz, Maciej Oszczudłowski, Francesco Chierigo, Diarmuid Declan Sugrue, Behzad Abbasi, Elaine J. Redmond, Mattia Lo Re, John F. O’Connor, François Madec, Paul Neuville, Guglielmo Mantica, Jordán Scherñuk, Jakob Klemm, Felix Campos-Juanatey
article en

Abstract

PURPOSE: Drug-coated balloon (DCB) urethral dilatation which offers an alternative to standard endoscopic treatments of male anterior urethral stricture disease (AUSD). Its ease of delivery has facilitated its use by urologists with various subspecialty interests. The objective of this study was to characterise real-world practice patterns of a DCB device. METHODS: users via national and international urological societies and device distributor mailing lists. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed using SPSS software. RESULTS: N = 102 urologists responded to the survey of whom n = 47 (46%) were reconstructive subspecialists. DCB dilatation was predominantly performed under general anaesthesia (n = 59, 58%). Significant variation was seen with catheter duration, perioperative antibiotic use and post-procedure contraception advice. Off-label use was common with respondents offering DCB for penile urethral strictures (65%), primary treatment (64%) and bladder neck stenoses (65%). Higher-volume users (≥ 10/year) were more likely to perform DCB under flexible cystoscopy (OR 5.14, 95% 1.57-16.79, p = 0.007), bladder neck stricture (OR 4.66, 95% CI 1.55-14.03, p = 0.006), and for recurrences (OR 6.92, 95% CI 2.22-21.6, p = 0.001). Limited practitioner experience, an evidence gap, and the importance of shared decision making were highlighted on thematic analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an insight into the early experience a novel DCB among practicing urologists. Further research is required to optimize patient selection, procedural protocols and the understanding of long-term outcomes.

World Journal of UrologyVol. 44(1)
AOL (United States) (US), Universidad de Cantabria (ES), Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (IE), Universität Hamburg (DE), University of California, San Francisco (US), University College Cork (IE), Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Ghent University Hospital (BE), Beaumont Hospital (IE), Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires (AR), Cork University Hospital (IE), CHU Ambroise Paré (BE), Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital (ES), Hospices Civils de Lyon (FR), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (DE), Instituto de Investigación Marqués de Valdecilla (ES), Hôpital Ambroise-Paré (FR), Postgraduate School of Molecular Medicine (PL), Chelsea and Westminster Hospital (GB), Klinikum Leverkusen (DE), University of Florence (IT), Gdańsk Medical University (PL), University of Genoa (IT)
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 31%
Urological Disorders and Treatments
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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