Efficacy and safety of the Rezum system for the treatment of catheter-dependent urinary retention: Three-year real-world outcomes in a multimorbid, multiethnic population

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the long-term real-world efficacy and safety of Rezum for the treatment of catheter-dependent urinary retention in a multimorbid, multiethnic population.

Methods: A single-office, retrospective study was conducted on patients treated with Rezum between 2017 and 2019. Patients were included if they had catheter-dependent urinary retention prior to treatment and at least one follow-up within 36 months postoperatively. Patient demographics, procedural characteristics, adverse events (AEs), and outcome measures, including benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) medication usage and postvoid residual (PVR), were collected at 3, 6, 12, and/or 36 months postoperatively. Regret was assessed at 36 months using the 5-item Decisional Regret Scale (DRS).

Results: A total of 27 patients met the inclusion criteria, with the majority being Asian (29.6%), followed by non-Hispanic Black (26.0%) and Hispanic (22.2%). Most patients (77.8%) had at least one comorbidity. Trial of void (TOV) was attempted at a median of 8 days (7, 13). Fourteen patients (51.9%) failed their initial TOV. Median time until catheter independence was 13.5 days (8.5, 28.8). Common AEs included urinary retention (51.9%), urinary tract infections (UTIs) (25.9%), and dysuria (25.9%). All cases of UTIs (7/7) and most cases of dysuria (6/7) occurred in patients who failed their initial TOV. At 36 months, there was a significant median percentage change in PVR (-100.0% [-100.0, -36.7], p = .049), and 40.4% of patients discontinued their BPH medications (p = .001). Of the 11 patients who filled out the DRS, 10 (90.9%) agreed/strongly agreed that they made the right decision. By 36 months, 4 patients (14.8%) underwent reoperation and 24 (88.9%) remained catheter-independent.

Conclusions: At long-term follow-up, Rezum effectively treated catheter-dependent urinary retention with minimal decisional regret. In patients with urinary retention, urologists should consider delaying TOV until 2 weeks postoperatively to maximize the likelihood of a successful TOV and minimize the risk of AEs.

Keywords: benign prostatic hyperplasia; lower urinary tract symptoms; minimally invasive surgical therapy; urinary catheter; urinary retention.