Transobturator methods for installing sling to treat incontinence, and related devices

A method of treating incontinence in a male patient, the method comprising

• providing an elongate implantable sling comprising a central support portion and two elongate end portions, the central support portion and two elongate end portions being continuous mesh,
• creating an incision at the perineum of the male patient,
• inserting the sling through the perineal incision,
• installing the central support portion below the bulbous urethra,
• attaching an end portion to an obturator membrane without making a lateral incision adjacent the patient's obturator foramen, and
• approximating the urethra in a direction toward the bladder to improve coaptation of the urethra by a rhabdosphincter, without the sling placing compressive forces on the urethra.