Functional Outcomes and Health Related Quality of Life after Artificial Urinary Sphincter Implantation: Evaluation with Validated Questionnaires

Introduction: Urinary incontinence ranges from 4 to 31% after prostatic surgery. The aim of our study was to assess efficacy and quality of life outcomes of 37 patients who underwent artificial urinary sphincter AMS (American Medical System) 800 placement in a single academic urologic clinic. Materials and methods: Pre and post operative stress urinary incontinence (SUI) was evaluated using the daily pad use (pad per day used PPD) and the Italian validated International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - short form (ICIQ-SF), whereas health related quality of life (HRQoL) and subjective satisfaction of the patients was evaluated with the Italian validated Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) questionnaire. Results: Median preoperative PPD used was 4; after a median follow up of 4 years, median PPD used was 1. With regard to ICIQ-SF questionnaire, 4 patients (12.5%) responded that they never lose urine and 22 (68.76%) only during exercise and / or sneezing. Moreover, median PGI-1 score was 1, documenting a better HRLQoL after AMS positioning. With regard to the answer regarding improvement after surgery, median score was 90, while median score concerning satisfaction was 99. When we asked, “Would you recommend the post to a friend?” only 1 patient replied no. Conclusions: AMS 800 ensures good results in terms of urinary continence and a satisfactory quality of life.