AdVance male urethral sling: medium-term results in an Australian cohort

Since 2008, the AdVance male urethral sling has emerged as a minimally invasive option for stress urinary incontinence. We aimed to evaluate the success of the AdVance sling using validated continence outcome measures.

A total of 72 patients treated with the AdVance sling completed validated questionnaires reporting on quality of life and functional outcomes. Incontinence was assessed according to pad weight, pad usage per day (PPD), International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire scores and Patient Global Impression of Improvement scores.

At a median 52-month follow-up, 37 (51%) patients were pad free or used a security pad; 18 (25%) used ≥50% fewer PPDs; and the remaining 17 (24%) patients were classified as 'failed'. According to pad weights, 27 (38%) patients were dry; 32 (44%) had mild incontinence (<100 mL/day); and 13 (18%) had moderate (100-400 mL/day) or severe (>400 mL/day) incontinence. Patient satisfaction was high, with 57 (79%) very much or much better, six (8%) somewhat better and only nine (13%) unchanged or worse. There was a trend of declining continence over time, although the majority remained improved. Patients with severe preoperative incontinence performed significantly worse postoperatively (P = 0.02), as did those who had had prior pelvic radiotherapy (P = 0.02).

The AdVance sling offers a high rate of success for the treatment of mild to moderate post-prostatectomy incontinence according to PPD; however, when using objective measures of continence, the success rates are lower. The improvement in urinary control is largely durable over the medium term; however, they may decline beyond 4 years. Reduced efficacy is seen in those with a history of radiotherapy and severe incontinence, although the majority of these men are still improved with surgery.