Male urethral prosthesis with tensioning member
The present invention provides a urethral prosthesis including a first and a second arm that join to form a junction, and a stem that is also joined to the junction. The junction is adapted to exert sufficient pressure on a portion of a patient's urethra to prevent unintentional voiding of the patient's bladder. However, upon exerting a tension force on the stem, the pressure exerted by the junction is reduced such that the patient's bladder may be intentionally voided.
1. A urethral prosthesis comprising:
a first arm and a second arm that are joined at proximal ends to define a junction adapted to exert pressure on a portion of a urethra when implanted, wherein the first and second arms each have a length and are capable of extending from a location below the urethra at the junction to locations in a pelvic region of a patient's body, such that distal ends of the first and second arms are capable of extending to pelvic region locations on respective right and left sides of the patient body;
a stem joined to the junction that is adapted to decrease the pressure exerted on the portion of the urethra when a tension force is exerted on the stem, wherein the stem has a length no greater than the lengths of the first and second arms; and
a compression member comprising a resilient pouch at the junction.
2. The urethral prosthesis of claim 1 further comprising a tensioning member associated with the first arm and a tensioning member associated with the second arm, each tensioning member being attached to the arm at a distal location and at a proximal location.
3. A urethral prosthesis comprising:
a first arm and a second arm that are joined at proximal ends to define a junction adapted to exert pressure on a portion of a urethra when implanted, wherein the first and second arms each have a length and are capable of extending from a location below the urethra at the junction to locations in a pelvic region of a patient's body, such that distal ends of the first and second arms are capable of extending to pelvic region locations on respective right and left sides of the patient body;
a stem joined to the junction that is adapted to decrease the pressure exerted on the portion of the urethra when a tension force is exerted on the stem, wherein the stem has a length no greater than the lengths of the first and second arms;
a tensioning member associated with the first arm and a tensioning member associated with the second arm, each tensioning member being attached to the arm at a distal location and at a proximal location; and
a tensioning member associated with the stem and attached to the stem at a distal location and at a proximal location.
4. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the first and second arms comprise a mesh material.
5. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the first and second arms comprise a coating.
6. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the first and second arms are coated with a bioactive material.
7. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the first and second arms comprise a silicone material.
8. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the first and second arms have a width between about 0.5 and about 5 cm.
9. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the first and second arms have a length of between about 5 and about 30 cm.
10. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the stem comprises a flexible material.
11. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the stem comprises a mesh material.
12. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the stem further comprises a coating.
13. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the stem is coated with a bioactive material.
14. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the stem is joined to the junction transversely across the width of the junction.
15. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 in combination with a guide needle.
16. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 wherein one or more soft tissue anchor is secured to one or more distal end of the first arm and the second arm.
17. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 wherein each of the first arm and the second arm has a length to extend from the junction, when located below a urethra, to an obturator internus muscle.
18. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 wherein each of the first arm and the second arm has a length in a range from 15 to 25 centimeters.
19. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the first arm and the second arm has a width in a range from 0.5 to 2.5 centimeters.
20. The urethral prosthesis of claim 3 , wherein the junction has a width wider than that of the first and second arms.