Meta-analysis finds high complication rates after UroLume endoprosthesis implantation

BackgroundThe UroLume endoprosthesis (AMS/Endo-care), commercially available 1988-2007 and FDA-approved in 1996, was positioned as a permanent minimally invasive solution for recurrent bulbar urethral stricture and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Despite early procedural success, long-term data revealed a catastrophic complication profile -- including irreversible urethral destruction, spongiofibrosis, MDR infections, chronic kidney disease, and severe psychological morbidity -- culminating in the clinical entity termed UroLume Cripple Syndrome. No systematic epidemiological analysis of surviving patients in 2026 currently exists. ObjectivesTo synthesise four decades of evidence on UroLume pathophysiology, complications, surgical management hierarchy, psychological burden, and cumulative multimorbidity; to perform a pooled meta-analysis of primary complication endpoints; and to present an original epidemiological model estimating surviving patients globally and in Greece in 2026. MethodsPRISMA 2020-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library (all dates to March 2026). Inclusion: peer-reviewed studies of UroLume implantation, explantation, or post-UroLume reconstruction; minimum 12-month follow-up; series n[&ge;]10. Random-effects meta-analysis (DerSimonian-Laird estimator) was performed for three primary complication endpoints across all 43 included studies. An original bottom-up sequential filter epidemiological model was constructed integrating WHO 2021 actuarial tables, published explantation rates, multimorbidity excess mortality, age distributions, complete epithelialisation prevalence, and reconstruction failure rates. ResultsForty-three studies met inclusion criteria (n=3,847 patients). Pooled meta-analysis yielded: restenosis/tissue ingrowth 37.9% (95% CI 36.1%-39.8%, I{superscript 2}=0%); stent explantation 8.7% (95% CI 7.7%-9.8%, I{superscript 2}=0%); urinary incontinence 9.7% (95% CI 8.7%-10.9%, I{superscript 2}=0%). Complete epithelialisation, irreversible after 12 months, affects approximately 8-13% of long-term survivors and defines the UroLume Cripple endpoint. Post-UroLume buccal mucosa graft urethroplasty achieves 76.7% success at 5 years when explantation is feasible. Our epidemiological model estimates 2,500-5,000 surviving patients globally with UroLume in situ in 2026, reducing to fewer than 100 clinically active patients aged <60 years following full multimorbidity adjustment. A six-filter sequential model for Greece converges to a final estimate of 1 surviving patient aged <60 years with complete epithelialisation following failed reconstruction. ConclusionsUroLume Cripple Syndrome is a chronic iatrogenic disease with distinct pathophysiological, reconstructive, psychological, and social dimensions that has received insufficient recognition as a defined clinical entity. The surviving patient population is small but institutionally invisible: no registry exists, no dedicated follow-up protocol has been established, and specialist reconstructive capacity is confined to approximately eight centres worldwide. Registry creation, EAU guideline extension, and specialist referral pathways are the minimum adequate institutional responses. This preprint has been deposited on medRxiv simultaneously with journal submission.