Urethral Expander Catheter for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Summary
USPTO published patent application US20260096912A1 for a catheter system to deploy an implantable urethral expander for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The expander is biocompatible, resiliently deformable, and configured to exert outward radial force against the prostatic urethra between the bladder neck and external sphincter. Medical device manufacturers and urological treatment developers should monitor this filing for potential freedom-to-operate implications.
What changed
USPTO published a patent application for a catheter system designed to deploy an implantable expander in the prostatic urethra for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia. The expander is biocompatible, resiliently deformable from a relaxed expanded orientation to a contracted orientation for transluminal delivery, and configured to exert outward radial force against the urethral wall when implanted between the bladder neck and external sphincter.
Medical device manufacturers developing urological or BPH treatment devices should monitor this application's prosecution. If granted, the patent may restrict development of similar prostatic urethral expansion technologies unless alternative designs are employed. Companies in this space should conduct freedom-to-operate analyses and consider prior art searches to assess design-around options.
What to do next
- Monitor application prosecution for grant or rejection
- Assess freedom-to-operate for BPH device development
- Review claims for potential infringement exposure
Archived snapshot
Apr 9, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
CATHETER FOR DEPLOYING AN EXPANDER IN A URETHRA
Application US20260096912A1 Kind: A1 Apr 09, 2026
Inventors
Conor Harkin, Garrett Ryan, Bruce Murphy, James Redmond, Michael Burke, Riona Ni Ghriallais
Abstract
A catheter for deploying an implantable expander in a urethra. An implantable biocompatible expander suitable for implantation into a urinary duct is resiliently deformable from a relaxed radially expanded orientation to a radially contracted orientation suitable for transluminal delivery through the urinary duct. The expander may be configured to exert an outward radial force against a wall of the urinary duct when in-situ within the urinary duct. In particular, the expander is suitable for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and configured for implantation into the prostatic urethra between, and substantially spanning the prostatic urethra between, the bladder neck and external sphincter.
CPC Classifications
A61F 2/86 A61B 1/307 A61F 2/04 A61F 2/848 A61M 29/02 A61F 2002/047 A61F 2002/825 A61F 2002/8483 A61F 2002/9665 A61F 2210/0004 A61F 2230/0013 A61F 2230/0023 A61F 2230/0054 A61F 2230/0056 A61F 2230/0067 A61F 2230/0069 A61F 2230/0095 A61F 2250/0039 A61F 2250/0067
Filing Date
2025-12-11
Application No.
19416994
Related changes
Get daily alerts for USPTO Patent Applications - Medical Devices (A61M)
Daily digest delivered to your inbox.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
Source
About this page
Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission
Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from USPTO.
The plain-English summary, classification, and "what to do next" steps are AI-generated from the original text. Cite the source document, not the AI analysis.
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when USPTO Patent Applications - Medical Devices (A61M) publishes new changes.