The Artificial Urinary Sphincter in the Management of Incontinence

Despite the emergence of different devices in the treatment of postprostatectomy urinary incontinence, the AMS 800 (American Medical Systems, Minnetonka, MN) remains the gold standard for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in men. We reviewed the current literature regarding the indications, surgical principles, outcomes, and complications of artificial urinary sphincter placement for stress urinary incontinence after prostatectomy. Despite all the available information, heterogeneous data, different success definitions, and the lack of high-quality prospective studies with long-term follow-up, it is difficult to compare outcomes between studies. In spite of these, the perineal implantation of a single cuff artificial urinary sphincter has withstood the test of time.