The male perineal sling: comparison of sling materials

Urinary incontinence continues to be a significant problem for patients after radical prostatectomy. The male perineal sling is emerging as a safe and effective treatment option for postprostatectomy stress urinary incontinence. We compare the efficacy of porcine dermal collagen and silicone mesh as the sling material.

Of 36 patients with postprostatectomy stress urinary incontinence a porcine dermal collagen sling was placed in 20 and a silicone mesh sling was placed in 16. The sling was placed at the bulbar urethra and secured to 3 titanium bone screws anchored into the medial aspect of bilateral inferior pubic rami.

Results at 12 months were compared. In the dermis group 9 (56%) patients were cured of incontinence (no pads daily), 5 (31%) had significant improvement (decrease of 50% or more in pads daily) and 2 (13%) had no change in symptoms. In the silicone mesh group 14 (87%) patients were cured of incontinence and 2 (13%) were significantly improved. Results showed that a previously placed artificial urinary sphincter led to poorer outcomes but a history of radiation therapy did not affect results. The most common complication was temporary urinary retention observed in 1 (5%) patient in the dermis group and 2 (12%) in the silicone mesh group.

Early results demonstrate that the male sling is a safe and efficacious treatment option for postprostatectomy urinary incontinence. This study demonstrates superior outcomes with the synthetic silicone mesh sling compared to the porcine dermal collagen.