Method for treating female incontinence

摘要

A female urinary incontinence device (2) and method comprises an elongate body (4) and a pair of anterior support members (6, 8) extending from the proximal end of the elongate body. The anterior support members are spaced from each other and configured for elevating and/or supporting the superior vaginal tissue (122) on each side of the bladder neck (106) to normalize urodynamic parameters without completely occluding the urethra (108) so that the patient may urinate or not urinate, if desired. A pair of posterior support members (10, 12) extend from the distal end of the elongate body for engaging the posterior vaginal wall (120) to provide longitudinal support to the anterior support members. The device may be folded axially between a collapsed position for insertion into the vagina (100) and an expanded position for supporting the bladder neck to offer counterpressure to intra-bladder pressure so that continence is preserved.