The ContiCath is inserted in a similar way to the commonly used Foley catheter by using a stiffening rod. But once in the bladder there is no balloon to hold the catheter in place. The bladder end of the ContiCath is designed like a pig-tail which curls up once the stiffening rod is removed. The pig-tail prevents the catheter from being expelled. Without a balloon to block the bladder neck, and with the three deep channels cut along the outside of the catheter, urine flows normally, only to be stopped at the taper where the sphincter blocks urine flow.
Patients can void near normally.
The ContiCath is not yet available for sale in the U.S. or Canada.