Nahariya hospital becomes first in Israel to implant artificial urinary sphincters in women

Israel’s first successful implantations of artificial urinary sphincters in women have been performed on four female patients, aged 44 to 75, at Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, the hospital says.

Until now, this complex procedure, which has been performed in only a small number of medical centers worldwide, had been performed only in men in Israel.

The surgeries were carried out using robotic technology and were led by Prof. Lior Lowenstein, Head of the Women’s and Maternity Division at Galilee Medical Center and Vice Dean and Head of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine at Bar-Ilan University, as well as by Dr. Susana Mustafa Mikhail, head of urogynecology and pelvic floor reconstructive surgery at Galilee Medical Center, in collaboration with Prof. Gilles Karsenty of Aix-Marseille University Medical Center in Marseille, France, one of the world’s leading experts in this field.

“This is a highly demanding surgery,” says Lowenstein. The goal is to “significantly” improve the quality of life for patients who suffer from severe impairment of daily functioning.”