[Artificial urinary sphincters in women: indications, techniques, results]

Artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) is one of the last resort surgical treatments proposed to patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) due to severe sphincter incompetence. Despite convincing functional results, AUS implantation in women is a preferred treatment option only for certain teams. An abdominal approach for implantation of the prosthesis is often preferred to the transvaginal approach. The most recent data show that more than 84% of patients are continent at 5 years. The 5-year sphincter revision rate is about 20%. In 2005, AUS is still a valid treatment option in SUI and has a real place in the urologist's therapeutic armamentarium even in the age of synthetic suburethral tape.