Urethral catheter entrapped in vesicourethral anastomotic sutures after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy successfully removed by transurethral approach

Abstract

Introduction

Urethral catheter entrapped in vesicourethral anastomotic sutures after radical prostatectomy is a relatively common complication. We herein present a novel and safe technique to remove urethral catheter.

Case presentation

A 64-year-old man was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Subsequently he underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. On postoperative Day 7, the patient experienced difficulty in removing the catheter, and entanglement of the suture with the urinary catheter was suspected. After conservative follow-up, a rigid endoscope was inserted into the urethra beside urethral catheter, identifying suture entanglement with the catheter. Finally, the suture was cut with scissor forceps.

Conclusion

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case in which scissor forceps were used to cut the entangled thread in such a complication. This case highlights a novel but simple method for difficult removal of an entrapped catheter.