Artificial urethral sphincter implantation using robots is applied to female incontinence patients for the first time in Korea
Jun 20, 2025
Urinary incontinence is a symptom of urine leakage regardless of one's will. It occurs more in women than in men, and it is easy to misunderstand it as a natural phenomenon that occurs simply with age, but treatment without neglect can greatly reduce the inconvenience of daily life.
Urinary incontinence is largely divided into two categories. Abdominal pressure urinary incontinence is a case of urine leaking when doing activities that put strength in the stomach, such as coughing, sneezing, and jumping rope. It usually occurs when the pelvic muscles weaken due to childbirth or aging. Urgent incontinence is a form of sudden strong urinary tract and leakage before arriving at the bathroom. It is one of the symptoms of an irritable bladder that causes the bladder to contract unexpectedly.
Abdominal pressure urinary incontinence, like Kegel's exercise, initially tries to relieve symptoms and treat symptoms by strengthening pelvic muscles or reducing weight. If the symptoms are severe or ineffective, they move on to surgical treatment. The most widely used surgery for female patients is central urethral sling surgery, which is a method of preventing urine from leaking by inserting a thin artificial mesh that supports the urethra.
In 2011, the U.S. FDA issued a warning that some patients may experience side effects, but this method, which is used to treat abdominal pressure urinary incontinence, is still used as a standard treatment worldwide. The short-term success rate of surgery is more than 90%, but in some patients, the recurrence rate is reported to reach 5 to 10% within 10 years.
Male incontinence mainly occurs after prostate cancer surgery. It can be treated through artificial urethral sphincter implantation with a structure that automatically closes after pressing the pump by hand to expel urine. This device (AMS800, Boston Scientific) solves symptoms by directly applying pressure to the bladder neck to patients whose urethral sphincters are weak and urine leaks. In particular, it can be a fundamental solution for patients whose incontinence continues even after several operations.
This treatment has been established as a standard treatment for male incontinence and has been proven to be stable and effective for more than 30 years, but its application in female patients has been limited due to technical complexity and high morbidity. Recently, however, it has overcome technical difficulties through robotic surgery and is expanding its application to the treatment of female patients, which has been considered difficult.
Recently, Professor Shim Ji-sung of the Department of Urology at Korea University Anam Hospital successfully performed an artificial urethral sphincter transplant using a robot on a female patient for the first time in Korea. The surgery also drew international attention by conducting it in collaboration with Professor Peyronnet of the University of Rennes in France, which has the world's largest number of operations.
Professor Shim said "Artificial urethral sphincter surgery can be a decisive turning point in restoring quality of life for female incontinence patients who have not been effective even after several surgeries.""Although robotic artificial urethral sphincter implantation requires sophisticated techniques, it shows sufficient promise in both safety and effectiveness, which will give us a wider range of choices in the future."
Urinary incontinence is largely divided into two categories. Abdominal pressure urinary incontinence is a case of urine leaking when doing activities that put strength in the stomach, such as coughing, sneezing, and jumping rope. It usually occurs when the pelvic muscles weaken due to childbirth or aging. Urgent incontinence is a form of sudden strong urinary tract and leakage before arriving at the bathroom. It is one of the symptoms of an irritable bladder that causes the bladder to contract unexpectedly.
Abdominal pressure urinary incontinence, like Kegel's exercise, initially tries to relieve symptoms and treat symptoms by strengthening pelvic muscles or reducing weight. If the symptoms are severe or ineffective, they move on to surgical treatment. The most widely used surgery for female patients is central urethral sling surgery, which is a method of preventing urine from leaking by inserting a thin artificial mesh that supports the urethra.
In 2011, the U.S. FDA issued a warning that some patients may experience side effects, but this method, which is used to treat abdominal pressure urinary incontinence, is still used as a standard treatment worldwide. The short-term success rate of surgery is more than 90%, but in some patients, the recurrence rate is reported to reach 5 to 10% within 10 years.
Male incontinence mainly occurs after prostate cancer surgery. It can be treated through artificial urethral sphincter implantation with a structure that automatically closes after pressing the pump by hand to expel urine. This device (AMS800, Boston Scientific) solves symptoms by directly applying pressure to the bladder neck to patients whose urethral sphincters are weak and urine leaks. In particular, it can be a fundamental solution for patients whose incontinence continues even after several operations.
This treatment has been established as a standard treatment for male incontinence and has been proven to be stable and effective for more than 30 years, but its application in female patients has been limited due to technical complexity and high morbidity. Recently, however, it has overcome technical difficulties through robotic surgery and is expanding its application to the treatment of female patients, which has been considered difficult.
Recently, Professor Shim Ji-sung of the Department of Urology at Korea University Anam Hospital successfully performed an artificial urethral sphincter transplant using a robot on a female patient for the first time in Korea. The surgery also drew international attention by conducting it in collaboration with Professor Peyronnet of the University of Rennes in France, which has the world's largest number of operations.
Professor Shim said "Artificial urethral sphincter surgery can be a decisive turning point in restoring quality of life for female incontinence patients who have not been effective even after several surgeries.""Although robotic artificial urethral sphincter implantation requires sophisticated techniques, it shows sufficient promise in both safety and effectiveness, which will give us a wider range of choices in the future."
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
