[Prosthetic surgery for stress urinary incontinence due to neurogenic sphincter incompetence]

Neurogenic sphincter incompetence, in the absence of detrusor dysfunction, results in stress urinary incontinence. Management is exclusively surgical. The available artificial sphincters ensure continence, provided intermittent self-catheterization is performed when necessary for neurogenic bladder. Artificial urinary sphincter is the reference treatment, historically and based on published cohort studies. However, it is associated with a higher morbidity in this population than in the non-neurological population. Although the surgical implantation technique is not modified in females as a result of the neurological disorder it is modified in males, as periprostatic implantation may be necessary, requiring specific training in this technique and rigorous patient selection. Other more recent prosthetic treatments are being developed, but are still at the stage of evaluation: periurethral fascia sling, periurethral injections and periurethral balloon implantation. These techniques eliminate the need to manipulate a pump to open the sphincter for self-catheterization. They appear to be promising, but their long-term results are unknown. In conclusion, operative indications for SUI due to neurogenic sphincter incompetence must be based on a multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment and explicit patient information.