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Inflatable artificial sphincter - Risks

Alternative Names

Artificial sphincter (AUS) - urinary

Risks:

This procedure is generally safe. Ask your doctor about these possible complications.

Risks for any surgery are:

Infection at the site of the incision
Opening of the incision
Blood clots in the legs that may travel to the lungs
Breathing problems
Bleeding
Other infection

Risks for this surgery may include:

Damage to the urethra, bladder, or vagina
Difficulty emptying your bladder, which may require a catheter
Urine leakage that may get worse
Failure, infection, or wearing away of the device that requires surgery to remove it

Inflatable artificial sphincter

Anal sphincter anatomy

Inflatable artificial sphincter - series

Reviewed last on: 6/17/2010
David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc., and Scott Miller, MD, Urologist in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia.

References

Staskin DR, Comiter CV. Surgical treatment of male sphincteric urinary incontinence: the male perineal sling and artificial urinary sphincter. Wein AJ, Kavoussi LR, Novick AC, Partin AW, Peters CA, eds. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 74.

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