Use of Memokath Temporary Urethral Stent in Treatment of Detrusor—Sphincter Dyssynergia

In spinal-injured patients, detrusor—sphincter dyssynergia (DSD) can lead to high intravesical pressures, upper tract dilation, and recurrent infections. The standard treatment for DSD is sphincterotomy and, more recently, permanent sphincter stenting. Many spinal-injury patients would prefer a reversible treatment because of concern about fertility or because they are awaiting a "miracle cure." There is also concern over the theoretical long-term risk of squamous carcinoma after permanent stenting. In view of this, the Memokath^™, a thermosensitive temporary stent, has been undergoing trials at our center to determine which patients could benefit. Fourteen Memokath stents have been inserted in spinal-injured patients with DSD at our center, and they have been followed up for as long as 2 years. Stents were placed under cystoscopic guidance as a day case procedure. The stents were inserted either through the sphincter alone (short [4-cm] stents; 3 patients) or through the sphincter and bladder neck (long [5–7-cm] stents; 11 patients). There were no complications during surgery in either placement or removal of these stents. There was a significant (p < 0.001) reduction in the residual urine volume after stenting. Preoperative hydronephrosis and attacks of autonomic dysreflexia noted in some patients also resolved after stenting. Short stents that bridge the external urethral sphincter were ineffective in emptying the neuropathic bladder. Therefore, we advise that only long stents that lie across both the bladder neck and the external sphincter be used. Because of its easily reversible nature, the Memokath should be adopted for use in patients who are unsure about their preferred option of bladder management and those involved in a fertility program.