Resolute Baptist Hospital in New Braunfels has begun using the Optilume device, a new medical technology designed to treat urethral scar tissue. This innovative device offers a less invasive alternative to traditional surgical methods, providing hope for patients suffering from urethral strictures.

How Optilume Works

The Optilume device is a drug-coated balloon that is inserted into the urethra and then inflated. This process allows a chemotherapy agent called paclitaxel to be delivered directly into the tissue. According to Dr. Donahue, this method aims to inhibit the body’s overactive healing mechanisms, thereby reducing the recurrence of scar tissue.

Dr. Donahue explained that scarring in patients with urethral strictures is often due to an overactive inflammatory response. Traditional methods, such as cutting open the urethra or dilating it, have a 50% chance of scar tissue returning. The Optilume device, however, offers a promising alternative by potentially lowering this recurrence rate.

Benefits for Patients

One of the significant advantages of the Optilume device is that it can prevent patients from undergoing more invasive surgeries like urethroplasty. It is also beneficial for patients who have experienced complications following prostate cancer treatment. Dr. Donahue noted that the device has revolutionized the treatment of urethral strictures, making it a safer and low-risk augmentation to existing procedures.

Since its introduction at Resolute Baptist Hospital in 2025, the Optilume device has been praised for its effectiveness and safety. Dr. Donahue emphasized that it is a very safe and low-risk addition to the procedures already being performed at the hospital.

Original reporting: Community Impact — Austin — read the source article.