TOPLINE

Women with stress urinary incontinence from intrinsic sphincter deficiency who underwent robot-assisted implantation of an artificial urinary sphincter had little or no urine leakage with manageable complications at mid-term follow-up.

METHODOLOGY

• Researchers conducted a prospective study to evaluate the outcomes of robot-assisted artificial urinary sphincter implantation in women with stress urinary incontinence from intrinsic deficiency.
• They included 29 adult women (mean age, 57.1 years) at a Spanish center between 2018 and 2026. Most had undergone prior anti-incontinence surgery.
• Using a robotic system, an artificial urinary sphincter (the AMS 800 InhibiZone) was implanted around the bladder neck via the back wall of the vagina. Patients were trained to operate the pump, which was activated about 51 days after surgery.
• The primary outcome was resolution of incontinence. Complete continence was defined as no leakage and no pad use, while social continence was defined as using no more than one pad per day with at least a 50% reduction in 24-hour pad weight.
• Secondary outcomes included perioperative results, complication rates, device-related events, and new lower tract symptoms.

TAKEAWAY

• After a mean follow-up of 38.1 months, 86.2% of patients achieved complete continence and 6.9% achieved social continence.
• A mean reduction of 16.5 points in an incontinence score and 670.5 g in 24-hour pad weight were noted after device activation (P < .001 for both).
• Intraoperative bladder injuries occurred in 37.9% of patients and were repaired with no lasting problems. Early complications after surgery occurred in 13.8% of patients, with no cases of device infection or explantation.
• The mean operative time was 171.6 minutes, and mean length of hospital stay was 2.4 days; the revision-free survival-rate was 93.1%.

IN PRACTICE

“[The] findings support its [robot-assisted artificial urinary sphincter implantation] role as a valuable therapeutic option in selected patients, although further comparative studies and long-term data are warranted,” the researchers wrote.

SOURCE

The study was led by David Carracedo of the Hospital Universitario Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, Spain. It was published online on July 22 in the World Journal of Urology.

LIMITATIONS

Researchers did not include a control group treated with alternative surgeries.

DISCLOSURES

The authors did not receive any funding support. They declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.