The authors undertake a complete review of the various techniques used for the surgical treatment of urinary incontinence in the male. Urethral repair (Young operation) has been abandoned. Creation of a smooth muscle sphincter in bladder gives approximately 32% continence. Use of the anal sphincter to ensure continence of the urethra gives approximately 60% good results. Urethral or bladder neck suspension by aponeurotic strips have given only 42% good results. Perineal muscular plasty procedures resulting a certain compression of the urethra have given approximately 68% good results. Perineal prostheses, despite a certain number of complications (fistulae, infections, urethral erosions) give 37% good results when all the published series are grouped together. Continence prostheses (Scott or Rosen) have given the same percentage of favourable results: 60%. In this review, the authors report the 13 operations which they have performed with insertion of a Kaufmann prosthesis with, in the long term, 6 continent patients out of the 13. Radiological analysis of micturition in these patients with a good result would appear to suggest to the authors that the Kaufmann prosthesis does not act only by simple compression of the urethra but provides a still tonic urethra with a support which enables it to play a role in continence. So much so that the prior study of the efficacy of urethral compression could be used to choose between the insertion of a Kaufmann prosthesis or the immediate recourse to artificial sphincters.