Patent ID: 7125377

Claim:
A valve assembly adapted to be positioned into a urethra in a mammal, including humans, the valve assembly comprising: a) a valve holder comprising a substantially cylindrically shaped body to be inserted into the urethra, and b) a valve housing comprising a valve controlling an urine flow from a patients bladder, the valve assembly adapted to be arranged in a sealed manner between the walls of the urethra, wherein the cylindrical valve holder comprises a shape memory alloy to provide an expandable element adapted to expand after the insertion of said valve holder to increase its diameter at its upper end to provide a frustoconical portion, whereby the increase of the diameter of the cylinder at its upper end is more than 15% and whereby the increase of the diameter of said cylindrical valve holder is temperature dependent; and wherein the valve holder comprises at least two frustoconically shaped portions at one end of the cylinder corresponding to said frustoconical portion.