Stress incontinence is the most frequent type of urinary incontinence in women. Its diagnosis and therapy is a so far not quite resolved problem. In particular conservative treatment and the decision-taking algorithm leading, after conservative treatment has failed, to selection of a suitable operation has undergone changes during the past 10 years. Classification of different risk groups of patients, the decision-taking algorithm, the most frequent mistakes and errors during conservative treatment, indication and implementation of surgery incl. the most frequent complications are the subject of the submitted paper.