ObjectivesTo describe a new technique for robot-assisted AMS-800 artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) bladder neck implantation in women.
Patients and MethodsWe reviewed the medical files of patients who underwent robot-assisted AUS implantation between March 2017 and November 2018 at our centre. All of the implantations were performed using a posterior approach to the bladder neck in order to avoid blind dissection and the risk of vaginal and/or bladder injury. This strategy was viewed as an alternative to the anterior robot-assisted implantation recently described. The AUSs were activated 5 weeks after implantation. Patients were followed up at 3, 6 and 12 months, then annually.
ResultsEight patients, with a median age of 64 years, underwent robot-assisted AUS implantation via a posterior approach to the bladder neck. The median preoperative pad weight was 300 g/24 h. The median operating time was 244 min. No peri-operative vaginal and or bladder injuries were observed. At a median of 12 months of follow-up, all the AUSs were functional. Five patients required no protection (62.5%), three had day protection (37.5%), and all said they were satisfied except for one patient (12.5%) who requested treatment for persistent urge incontinence.
ConclusionRobot-assisted AUS implantation in women via a posterior approach to the bladder neck is a procedure that is simple, reproducible and safe. The short-term functional results are satisfactory and comparable to those obtained via an open approach. A more long-term comparison of the efficacy and longevity of AUSs implanted using this posterior approach is needed to confirm its benefit compared with the anterior robot-assisted approach and the classic open technique.Keywords surgical technique, intrinsic sphincter deficiency, robotic surgery, artificial urinary sphincter, stress urinary incontinence Abbreviation: AUS, artificial urinary sphincter.
Supporting InformationAdditional Supporting Information may be found in the online version of this article:Video S1. Robotic-assisted artificial urinary sphincter (AMS 800) in women: posterior approach.
1080Gondran-Tellier et al.