The artificial urinary sphincter

The concept of an artificial device for treating urinary incontinence dates back to 1947 when Foley described and patented an inflatable cuff that wrapped around the bulbous urethra and was inflated by an externalized pump (1,2). Other authors described devices in the 1970s that never gained wide popularity either because of high mechanical failure rates, no human data, or lack of controlled compression of the urethra (3,4).