Continence and quality of life after artificial urinary sphincter implantation in patients with neurological urinary tract disorder: A narrative review over the past 20 years.
Julia Mistri, Amanda Simon, Marie-Liesse De Guerry et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review examined continence and quality of life after artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) implantation for neurogenic stress urinary incontinence. Although the methods describe a non-systematic PubMed review, the authors identified 21 relevant series, of which only 6 reported quality-of-life outcomes. Most patients achieved social continence (75 to 90%) or total dryness (71 to 75%); 78.8% reported being “very much improved.” The review also describes frequent device revisions and identifies urethral erosion and infection as leading reasons for definitive removal, particularly in patients using clean intermittent catheterization.
Key findings
- Across the reviewed series, social continence was achieved in 75 to 90% of patients and total dryness in 71 to 75%.
- Among patients, 78.8% reported being “very much improved.”
- Only 6 of 21 relevant series reported quality-of-life outcomes.
- Urethral erosion and infection were primary causes of definitive device removal, more often with clean intermittent catheterization.
Why it matters
The review suggests that AUS implantation can provide substantial continence benefit for people with neurogenic stress urinary incontinence, while also highlighting the burden of revisions and device removal. Quality of life and intimacy are important outcomes but are sparsely reported, limiting understanding of how continence gains translate into broader patient experience.
What to keep in mind
The review describes a non-systematic literature search, and quality-of-life outcomes were reported in only 6 of 21 relevant series.