Dr. Sean Elliott, MD
Reconstructive Urologist
Bladder Neck Artificial Urinary Sphincter
In less than 5% of people undergoing AUS surgery, the cause of the leakage is not prostate cancer treatment but, rather, neurologic diseases like spinal cord injury or spina bifida. In all of these women, and most of these men, the cuff is placed at the bladder neck. The bladder neck is the area at the bottom of th bladder where it funnels down from a wide bladder to a narrower urethra.
Pressure Regulating Balloon
Bladder
Prostate
Cuff
Pump in Scrotum
Urethra
Rectum
In women, an AUS is placed at the neck of the bladder, where is joins with the urethra. The balloon is still placed in the abdominal cavity. The pump in placed in one of the labia. Even though the labia are much smaller than the scrotum, there is enough room for a pump and women are able to squeeze it.
In women, the use of the AUS in the US is limited to incontinence caused by neurogenic bladder. Women with incontinence due to age or having babies have other options for incontinence surgery, like slings
Bladder
Pressure Regulating Balloon
Pump