Diagnostic urethral assembly and method

A diagnostic urethral assembly comprising an elongate body having a fluid passageway and an elongate support member selectively positionable within said fluid passageway of said elongate body, said elongate body having a radially responsive wall segment and being positionable within a lower urinary tract such that said radially responsive wall segment is adjacent a prostatic urethra, said elongate body adapted to be in fluid communication with a bladder, said assembly having a first operably selective condition wherein said elongate support member is translatable relative to said elongate body so as to permit sequential and incremental radial compression of said radially responsive wall segment by the prostatic urethra in furtherance of defining architecture associated with the prostatic urethra, and a second operably selective condition wherein fluid distally introduced into said elongate body radially expands said radially responsive wall segment into conforming engagement with the prostatic urethra in furtherance of obtaining a mold of same.

A diagnostic urethral kit comprising:

• a. a catheter securably positionable so as to be in fluid communication with a bladder and adapted to receive and pass urine therefrom, said catheter having a radially responsive wall segment for engaging a prostatic urethra, said radially responsive wall segment being physiologically responsive to structures of a lower urinary tract;
• and,
• b. an elongate tubular member receivable within said catheter, said elongate tubular member having a wall, opposing first and second ends, and a lumen, said wall extending between said opposing first and second ends and having longitudinally extending graduations, said elongate tubular member providing support for said radially responsive wall segment of said catheter, said elongate tubular member being selectively retractable from said catheter such that the structures of the lower urinary tract are permitted to physiologically act upon a portion of said segment adjacent said first end of said elongate tubular member.

A diagnostic urethral assembly comprising;

• a. an elongate body, positionable for fluid communication with a bladder, said elongate body having a pliable wall segment for engagement with a prostatic urethra, and a distal end opposite a free end thereof;
• b. an elongate support member receivable within said elongate body to selectively support said pliable wall segment and the prostatic urethra thereby, said elongate support member adapted to be in fluid communication with said elongate body, said elongate support member having a distal end opposite a free end thereof, said assembly having a first operably selective condition wherein said elongate support member is distally retractable relative to said elongate body to permit the prostatic urethra to sequentially and incrementally physiologically act upon said pliable segment in furtherance of defining architecture associated with the prostatic urethra, and a second operably selective condition wherein fluid distally introduced into said elongate body is acted upon such that said pliable segment substantially conforms to the prostatic urethra.

In a urethral diagnostic assembly including a urethral catheter having a radially responsive wall segment positionable to substantially traverse a prostatic urethra, means for regulated introduction of a casting agent at least indirectly into the urethral catheter such that the radially responsive wall section expands to engage the prostatic urethra, a dynamic casting being thereby formable to ascertain prostatic urethral architecture.

A diagnostic urethral device comprising a tubular body having proximal and distal end portions, and a physiologically responsive flexible wall segment therebetween, said proximal end portion of said tubular body adapted to be anchored at a bladder neck of a lower urinary tract for urine ingress, said physiologically responsive flexible wall segment of said tubular body being adapted to transverse a prostatic urethra in furtherance of assessing prostate contribution to bladder outlet obstruction.