Short-term urinary bladder drainage with the use of urethral Foley catheters is practiced
frequently in hospitals throughout the country. We studied the urethral and bladder cellular
proliferation after exposure to latex, silicone-coated latex, and 100% silicone catheters. Fifty-
one male patients were studied; no differences in acute cellular reaction could be detected
among the three different catheter materials. Promotion of all-silicone products in hospital
use may be unwarranted.(JAMA242: 451-453, 1979)