Patent ID: 7273448

Claim:
An implantable urethral prosthesis comprising: an elongate strip of flexible material including first and second ends and a center point, the first and second ends adapted to be secured to soft tissue in the vicinity of a patient's descending rami; an inflatable pillow attached to the center point of the elongate strip that is adapted to exert a force on the patient's urethra when inflated with an inflating agent, the inflatable pillow including a compression region having a tactile locator that is adapted to be contacted to compress the inflatable pillow by exerting pressure on the patient's skin; a pressurized reservoir in fluid communication with the inflatable pillow that is adapted to receive inflating agent from, and transfer inflating agent to, the inflatable pillow; and a restrictor adapted to regulate the transfer of the inflating agent between the pressurized reservoir and the pillow such that the pressurized reservoir and the pillow are in equilibrium when the pillow is inflated, and wherein upon compression of the inflatable pillow, the inflating agent transfers from the inflatable pillow to the pressurized reservoir.