About

Sean Elliott, MD, MS, is a Professor and Director of Reconstructive Urology at the University of Minnesota. He directs a fellowship in Genitourinary Trauma and Reconstruction and the Urology Clinic at Gillette Lifetime Specialty Healthcare. Dr. Elliott received his M.D. at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and completed a urology residency and fellowship in Genitourinary Trauma and Reconstruction at the University of California-San Francisco. He also earned a Master's of Science in Health Services Research at the University of Minnesota and completed a leadership development program for physicians at Harvard University's School of Public Health. His clinical interests include urethral stricture disease, male urinary incontinence, urinary diversion, male genital reconstruction, and neurogenic bladder management, including long-term care for individuals with spina bifida or spinal cord injury. Dr. Elliott is a founding member of the Trauma and Urinary Reconstructive Network of Surgeons (TURNS), a collaborative research network focused on trauma and reconstructive urology. He directs a urologic surgery outcomes research group at the University of Minnesota, with research funded by the NIH, Gillette Children's Foundation, and the American Cancer Society. His work aims to improve urologic care delivery, particularly in benign prostatic hyperplasia, urethral stricture disease, neurogenic bladder, and complications related to radiation or surgery for prostate and cervical cancer. He is a member of the American Urologic Association, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and serves as Secretary-Treasurer of the Society of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons, guiding its activities and long-term vision.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Surgery
• Urology
• Pathology
• Physical therapy
• Medical education
• Pediatrics
• Family medicine

Selected publications

• V01-01 ROBOTIC PARASTOMAL HERNIA REPAIR OF ILEAL CONDUIT: KEYHOLE TECHNIQUE WITH NOVEL MESH COLLAR MODIFICATION

  The Journal of Urology · 2026-04-27

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Trauma and Genital and Urethral Reconstruction

  The Journal of Urology · 2025-04-09

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• 497 Feasibility of implementing the Alfred Step Test Exercise Protocol (A- STEP) in a pediatric CF clinic

  Journal of Cystic Fibrosis · 2025-10-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• PD34-09 5 YEARS OF THE OPTILUME® DRUG COATED BALLOON FOR RECURRENT ANTERIOR URETHRAL STRICTURES: A SUMMARY OF ROBUST I, II AND III

  The Journal of Urology · 2025-04-08

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• A Drug-Coated Balloon Treatment for Urethral Stricture Disease: Three-Year Results from the ROBUST III Study

  Journal of Endourology · 2025-04-29 · 11 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Introduction: The goal of this study is to report the updated 3-year safety and efficacy outcomes of the intervention arm of the ROBUST III randomized controlled trial, comparing the Optilume® drug-coated balloon (DCB) with standard endoscopic management of recurrent male anterior urethral stricture. Methods: Eligible patients included adult men with recurrent anterior urethral stricture ≤3 cm in length and ≤12 Fr in diameter, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) ≥11, and peak flow rate (Qmax) <15 mL/s. Patients were randomized to treatment with the Optilume DCB or standard-of-care endoscopic management. Primary endpoints evaluated over the 3-year follow-up period included freedom from reintervention and alterations in IPSS, Qmax, and postvoid residual (PVR). The primary safety endpoint was freedom from serious procedure- or device-related adverse events (AEs). Results: Descriptive statistics of the intervention cohort have been published previously. The treatment arm maintained a high percentage of patients free from repeat intervention (71%), nearly equal to the 2-year results and three times higher than that observed in the control group at the 1-year mark. Clinically significant subgroups, including those with history of repeat endoscopic dilations (≥5 prior dilations) and longer stricture lengths (≥2 cm), did not demonstrate any significant differences in observed metrics, including IPSS score, Qmax, or PVR. In the crossover cohort of patients who experienced treatment failure with standard endoscopic management and opted for DCB treatment, the Kaplan–Meier curve for freedom from reintervention closely resembles that of the original DCB cohort. Treatment-related AEs were rare and generally self-limited (hematuria, dysuria, and urinary tract infection). Conclusion: The Optilume DCB continues to achieve significant improvements in symptoms and reintervention rates through 3 years posttreatment and represents a viable endoscopic alternative with durable results and a low-risk safety profile for the management of recurrent anterior urethral strictures ≤3 cm in length.

  PublisherDOI

• The Artificial Urinary Sphincter Improves Emotional Health in Men With Stress Urinary Incontinence: Results From the Prospective, Multi-institutional AUSCO Study

  Urology · 2025-10-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects on depression, anxiety, and overall emotional health in patients undergoing artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) surgery for stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Few reports focus on the impact of AUS implantation on emotional health in men with SUI. METHODS: The AUS Clinical Outcomes Trial (AUSCO) was a prospective, single-arm, multi-site study designed to evaluate outcomes in men with SUI treated with the AMS 800 AUS (NCT04088331). A total of 115 subjects were implanted. Follow-up assessments at 3-, 6-, and 12-months post device activation were compared to baseline. These analyses focus on emotional health, measured with the Incontinence QOL (I-QOL), Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7), and EQ-5D-5L. RESULTS: At 12 months, 100 had completed QOL assessments. Depression rating (Item 5, I-QOL) significantly improved, with 85% (85/100) of patients reporting feeling at least "a little" depressed at baseline decreasing to 39% (39/100) at 12 months (p<0.0001). Emotional health rating (Item 6, IIQ-7) also improved, with 16% (16/100) reporting being "greatly" affected by incontinence at baseline decreasing to 3% (3/100) at 12 months (P <.0001). The anxiety/depression domain on the EQ-5D-5L (Item 5) was also significantly improved, with 50% (50/100) of patients reporting being at least "slightly" anxious or depressed at baseline decreasing to 30% (30/100) at 12 months (P =<0.0001). CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that treatment of SUI with the AUS improves emotional health in men with SUI.

  PublisherDOI

• Assessing the Burden of Radiation Related Injury in the Tertiary Reconstructive Urologic Practice

  Urology · 2025-12-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• PD02-07 PRIMARY RESULTS FROM THE MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL, PROSPECTIVE ARTIFICIAL URINARY SPHINCTER CLINICAL OUTCOMES (AUSCO) TRIAL

  The Journal of Urology · 2025-04-08

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Trauma, and Genital and Urethral Reconstruction

  The Journal of Urology · 2025-03-06

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Evolving Risk of Urinary Adverse Events Across Localized Prostate Cancer Treatments: A Propensity-weighted Analysis of Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare Data

  European Urology · 2025-05-22 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access

  Prostate cancer treatments vary in their risk of urinary complications: surgery has higher short-term risks, external radiation therapy has long-term risks, and combination treatments have the highest overall risks. Timing and long-term quality-of-life should guide individualized treatment decisions and survivorship planning. Prostate cancer treatments can cause long-term urinary adverse events (UAEs), but time-varying risks across treatments remain understudied. Using Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare data, we evaluated men aged ≥66 yr with localized prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy (RP), external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), brachytherapy (BT), EBRT + BT, RP + EBRT, or ablation between 2000 and 2017. The primary outcome was any UAE requiring a procedure, with follow-up from treatment initiation and censoring at disease progression. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate the UAE cumulative incidence and the propensity-weighted restricted mean survival time (RMST) to quantify mean UAE-free survival at 18 yr. The cohort included 166 581 patients: 40% received EBRT, 30% RP, 14% BT + EBRT, 12% BT, 3.1% RP + EBRT, and 1.7% ablation. Combined therapy carried the highest risk, with other modalities showing time-dependent changes. At 18 yr, the UAE risk was highest for RP + EBRT (41%), followed by BT + EBRT (35%), EBRT (29%), RP (23%), and BT (22%). Adjusted RMST to 18 yr was shortest for RP + EBRT (13.1 yr) and longest for BT (15.8 yr) and ablation (15.6 yr). In comparison to RP (15.1 yr), UAE-free survival was 2.0 yr shorter with RP + EBRT (RMST ratio 0.87; p < 0.001) and 0.2 yr shorter with EBRT + BT (RMST ratio 0.99; p < 0.001). The balance between oncologic efficacy and long-term urinary toxicity is key to treatment selection.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Jeremy B. Myers

  1106 shared

• Bradley A. Erickson

  NYU Langone Health

  1062 shared

• Benjamin N. Breyer

  University of California, San Francisco

  1043 shared

• Sorena Keihani

  University of Utah

  859 shared

• Ian Schwartz

  858 shared

• Frank Burks

  854 shared

• Nima Baradaran

  University of California, San Francisco

  850 shared

• Richard A. Santucci

  839 shared

Labs

• Timm-Nelson LabPI

Awards & honors

• Minnesota Monthly Magazine Top Doctors 2022-2025
• Minnesota Monthly Magazine Top Doctors for Women 2023-2025