Optilume device treats urethral scar tissue at Resolute Baptist Hospital in New Braunfels

The Optilume device is a drug-coated balloon that is inserted into the urethra and inflated. This allows a chemotherapy agent called paclitaxel to balloon into the tissue, Donahue said.

“The hope is that this is going to inhibit the body’s overactive mechanisms of healing and therefore it should reduce our recurrence of the scar,” Donahue said.

The Optilume also prevents patients from undergoing a much more invasive surgery called urethroplasty.

The Optilume device can also be used for patients who have had complications following prostate cancer treatment, Donahue said.

“It has actually revolutionized our treatment of scar tissue for urethral strictures,” Donahue said.

What else?

Resolute Baptist Hospital in New Braunfels began using the Optilume device in 2025, Donahue said.

“It’s a very safe, really low risk augmentation to a procedure that we’re already doing,” he said.