Artificial Urinary Sphincters

Sphincters are muscle-like structures in a human body that allows our body to hold the urine. In certain conditions like severe urinary incontinence, sphincters do not function properly leading to urinary leakage.

Artificial urinary sphincter replaces the damaged sphincter to restore incontinence. Artificial urinary sphincters are man-made fluid filled device made of silicone rubber and are particularly helpful for those men whose incontinence persists after treatment of prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate.

An artificial sphincter (valve) is implanted under urethra to control the flow of urine from the bladder into the urethra when native urinary sphincter no longer works properly. It opens and closes the Urethra to permit urine to flow through.

This tends to be used more commonly as an excellent treatment option for men with stress incontinence and is only rarely used in women.

The Artificial urinary sphincter muscle is implanted surgically via one or two small incisions.

This procedure is carried out under general anaesthesia.

Length of stay required in hospital is one day.

AN ARTIFICIAL URINARY SPHINCTER MUSCLE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS:

• A cuff – placed around the urethra. When urethra is bloated or full, the cuff closes off urethra so to stop the urine leakage.
• A balloon or a Reservoir– Which is placed under patients belly muscles or around pelvic region. This holds the same liquid as the cuff does.
• A pump –in case of a man, pump is placed in scrotum while in lower belly or leg in a woman.

When a person is on rest mode, the cuff is full of urine, compressing the urethra. When the patient feels that his bladder is full, he can squeeze the pump, which will open the cuff, allowing urine to drain out of urethra.

The cuff automatically re-fills in next 2-3 minutes, closing the urethra again.

The artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) is the excellent option of treatment for male urinary incontinence. AUS help people avoiding to carry urinary pipe or tube all the time.

The AUS is particularly effective for the more severe type of male urinary incontinence.

Artificial urinary sphincter is recommended in the following cases:

• urinary incontinence caused by removal of the prostate
• severe continual leakage of urine from the urethra
• rigorous urinary incontinencefor which other procedures of treatment have been failed
• Total or complete urinary leakage

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