Evidence and references

Plain-English summary

Across the published studies of iTind, patients with BPH reported improvements in symptoms and urinary flow after the device was placed and removed. Importantly, studies that specifically examined sexual function found it was largely preserved. None of these studies prove iTind is the right option for every patient; they describe outcomes in patients who met the selection criteria each study used.

• Symptom scores. International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and quality-of-life scores improved from baseline and were maintained over follow-up in the prospective series.¹
• Urinary flow. Maximum urinary flow (Qmax) increased after treatment in the randomised and prospective cohorts.^{1, 2}
• Sexual function. Studies focused on sexual outcomes reported preservation of erectile and ejaculatory function after iTind in treated patients.^{3, 4}
• Durability. The two-year follow-up of the MT-02 series reports that improvements were sustained at 24 months in the cohort studied.¹

Important limits

• Published cohorts selected patients by prostate size, symptom pattern and anatomy. Outcomes in different patient groups can differ.
• Follow-up in the studies cited here is up to two years in the longest series. Longer-term data continues to accumulate.
• "Preservation of sexual function" is a group-level observation. Individual outcomes vary and should be discussed case by case.
• iTind does not preclude later treatment with medication, Rezum, UroLift, laser enucleation or TURP if indicated.

Full references

1. Kadner G, Valerio M, Giannakis I, Manit A, Lumen N, Ho BSH, Alonso S, Schulman C, Barber N, Amparore D, Porpiglia F. Second generation of temporary implantable nitinol device (iTind) in men with LUTS: 2 year results of the MT-02-study. World J Urol. 2020 Mar 2. PMID: 32124019.
2. Chughtai B, Elterman D, Shore N, et al. The iTind Temporarily Implanted Nitinol Device for the Treatment of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Secondary to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial. Urology. 2020; S0090-4295(20)31520-X. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2020.12.022.
3. De Nunzio C, Cantiello F, Fiori C, et al. Urinary and sexual function after treatment with temporary implantable nitinol device (iTind) in men with LUTS: 6-month interim results of the MT-06-study. World J Urol. 2021; 39(6): 2037-2042. doi: 10.1007/s00345-020-03418-2.
4. Elterman D, Alshak M, Martinez Diaz S, et al. An Evaluation of Sexual Function in the Treatment of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Secondary to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Men Treated with the Temporarily Implanted Nitinol Device. J Endourol. 2022. doi: 10.1089/end.2022.0226.

Questions you can ask your specialist

• Given my prostate size and flow, is iTind a reasonable option for me?
• What result would I expect in terms of symptom score and urinary flow?
• What would we do if symptoms return months or years later?
• How does iTind compare to medication, Rezum, UroLift, or laser treatment in my case?