Feasibility of EXIME® temporary prosthesis placement and removal in men with acute or chronic urinary retention after failure or inability to selfcatheterize.

INTRODUCTION: Urological emergencies represent 7% of admissions, 29% of which are acute urine retention. We report the first results of a protocol evaluating a new device in case of failure of self-catheterization, replacing a permanent catheter: the urethral device EXIME®. METHOD: Intention-to-treat study on the feasibility of inserting the EXIME® prosthesis in a day hospital after simple urethral gel instillation in men with urine retention. EXIME® was proposed to all patients after failure of Foley catheter removal and refusal or inability to learn self-catheterization. The protocol was referenced (NCT04218942) after obtaining the agreement of the committee for the protection of individuals. RESULTS: Among 278 patients admitted for a trial of Foley catheter removal, 15 patients with failed voiding resumption and refusal or failure of self-catheterization were offered the prosthesis. The median age was 73 years with a median retention volume of 700mL. The median prostatic volume was 60g. Fourteen patients had their prosthesis inserted in good conditions of comfort for the practitioner and the patient. One failed placement was noted. The difficulty of insertion was estimated by the practitioner at 0 on median (VAS from 0 to 10), and for its removal at 0. The pain during the insertion of the device was evaluated by the patients at 2.00 and for the removal at 0 (VAS from 0 to 10). 6 patients had satisfactory voiding recovery at D0. DISCUSSION: We proposed the placement of EXIME to patients who had failed the trial of Foley removal and were unable and/or unwilling to self-catheterize. These were patients with poor bladder contractility and a high risk of retention recurrence. Despite this mixed result, the simplicity of the device and the comfortable expectation of an endoscopic procedure seem promising. CONCLUSION: Insertion and retrieval of EXIME®prostatic prosthesis were easy and well tolerated in our population. Insertion failed in one patient. A comparative prospective study with self catheterization is necessary to determine its effectiveness.