In surgery, a sling is an implant that is intended to provide additional support to a particular tissue. It usually consists of a synthetic mesh material in the shape of a narrow ribbon but sometimes a biomaterial (bovine or porcine) or the patients own tissue. The ends are usually attached to a fixed body part such as the

skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

In stress incontinence

stress incontinence Stress incontinence, also known as stress urinary incontinence (SUI) or effort incontinence is a form of urinary incontinence. It is due to inadequate closure of the bladder outlet by the urethral sphincter. Pathophysiology It is the loss of ...

, a sling is a potential method of treatment, and is placed under the urethra through one vaginal incision and two small abdominal incisions. The idea is to replace the deficient pelvic floor muscles and provide a backboard of support under the urethra. For this purpose, Pelvicol (a porcine dermal sling) implant sling had a comparable patient-determined success rate with TVT.

In female genital prolapse

Slings can also be used in the surgical management of

female genital prolapse Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is characterized by descent of pelvic organs from their normal positions. In women, the condition usually occurs when the pelvic floor collapses after gynecological cancer treatment, childbirth or heavy lifting. In me ...

Chin sling

A ''chin sling'' is a

synthetic Synthetic things are composed of multiple parts, often with the implication that they are artificial. In particular, 'synthetic' may refer to: Science * Synthetic chemical or compound, produced by the process of chemical synthesis * Synthetic o ...

lining used in

chin augmentation Chin augmentation using surgical implants can alter the underlying structure of the face, providing better balance to the facial features. The specific medical terms mentoplasty and genioplasty are used to refer to the reduction and addition of m ...

to lift the tissues under the

chin The chin is the forward pointed part of the anterior mandible ( mental region) below the lower lip. A fully developed human skull has a chin of between 0.7 cm and 1.1 cm. Evolution The presence of a well-developed chin is considered to be one ...

and

neck The neck is the part of the body on many vertebrates that connects the head with the torso. The neck supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that carry sensory and motor information from the brain down to the rest of the body. In ...

. The sling is surgically implanted under the skin of the chin and hooked behind the ears, giving a more youthful appearance, and reversing the effects of aging such as accumulated fat, lost skin elasticity and stretched muscle lining, all of which cause the neck to droop and sag.

References

{{reflist Implants (medicine) Oral and maxillofacial surgery Otorhinolaryngology Plastic surgery Medical_devices