Medicare-Approved Stent Improves Quality of Life for Men with Bladder, Prostate Problems

Aug. 13, 2011 - PRLog -- Medicare-Approved Stent
Improves Quality of Life for Men with Bladder, Prostate Problems

New Product May Provide Additional Aid to Men of Muslim Faith

Parkers Prairie, Minnesota, August 12, 2011 –  It’s called the Spanner, and it could revolutionize the treatment given to men suffering from an enlarged prostate, bladder problems, or both.  An internal temporary prostatic stent that is providing positive outcomes, the Spanner’s features may also give additional comfort to men of the Muslim faith who have prostate problems or experience difficulty urinating.

These conditions can lead to acute urinary retention, causing many to be fitted with a Foley catheter, which directs urine into a bag attached externally to the patient’s thigh.  Not only has this method been found to be less than satisfactory in a number of ways, there is an additional concern for men of the Muslim faith. Many consider the catheter and its external urine bag unclean, and cease attending their daily prayers, which are obligatory.

Dr. Danny Rabah, director of the Division of Urology at King Saud University Medical School in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is aware of this dilemma. Rabah, who was trained at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, recently conducted a preliminary study where patients had the Spanner easily placed and removed in his office setting. Results indicated this new device was not only more effective, it brought a significant improvement in the quality of life to patients in the study, all men of the Muslim faith. With catheter and leg bag gone, they reported the stent restored normalcy to their daily activities, including an improved level of sexual intimacy.

From this small patient population study, Rabah, who is already instructing his residents in application of the Spanner, is planning a larger,18-month analysis from his office in Riyadh, adding that this more extensive research could have a major positive impact on patients worldwide. “It will be a three-part study, ranging in scope from quality of life improvement issues to those who will benefit from surgery and those who will not,” Rabah said.

Initially, the medical community approached this new product with trepidation, after failure of an earlier permanent metallic urethral stent caused many urologists to turn away from this procedure.

But that mindset is changing: Another physician has found the Spanner not only works properly in patient tests, it has the potential of becoming an effective diagnostic tool as well. Dr. Mitchell Humphreys, an urologist with the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, says the device can be effective in helping physicians decide whether it’s the patient’s bladder or prostate causing the problem, because in 20% of cases, it’s the former.  Humphreys added that “the Spanner offers the perfect option to patients considering surgery without risking morbidity or risk from the surgery.”

Manufactured by AbbeyMoor Medical, Incorporated, the Spanner has been approved by the FDA and for reimbursement by Medicare.  For more, please visit www.abbeymoormedical.com.

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