Introduction. Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in men, primarily post-prostatectomy, remains a common and socially significant complication. Among surgical treatment options, alongside the artificial urinary sphincter, various sling systems are widely used. However, there is currently no unified classification of these implants in the literature, which complicates their comparative analysis, the choice of optimal tactics, and the development of new devices.
Aim. To develop a comprehensive classification of male slings used for the surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence (Comprehensive Male Sling Classification, CMSC) based on the systematization of their key design and functional parameters.
Materials and methods. To create the classification, a systematic analysis of data from the most relevant publications found in PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI) databases was conducted using keywords related to male slings and post-prostatectomy incontinence. The selection criterion was the completeness of the description of sling parameters suitable for classification.
Results. An original CMSC classification is proposed, based on six key parameters combined into the mnemonic formula «A_MAP_oF_sLing»: Adjustability, Material, Approach, Principle of action, Fixation, Location. Based on this classification, the main slings used in clinical practice (InVance®, UroSling® male, REMEEX®, Argus®, AdVance®/XP, A.M.I.® ATOMS, I-STOP TOMS®, Virtue® quadratic) were analyzed and categorized. For each of them, a detailed characterization according to CMSC is provided, including design, mechanism of action, advantages, disadvantages, and efficacy data. The systematization results are presented in a summary table.
Conclusions. The proposed CMSC classification is a universal and logically structured tool for systematizing existing and future male sling systems. It allows for the standardization of implant descriptions, facilitates their comparison and selection for specific clinical cases, and forms a basis for further research in the field of surgical treatment of male stress urinary incontinence.
