De novo urgency after tension-free vaginal tape versus transobturator tape procedure for stress urinary incontinence

Objective

To determine the frequency of de novo urgency after tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) compared with the transobturator tape (TOT) procedure in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Study design

Prospective study of all consecutive women with urodynamically confirmed SUI undergoing anti-incontinence surgery between January 2000 and January 2008. All procedures were performed by experienced urogynaecologists well trained in TVT and TOT surgery. Assessments were carried out at 1, 6, 12 and, 36 months after surgery.

Results

The study population included 366 women (mean age 59.5 years), 243 in the TVT group and 123 in the TOT group. The groups were similar in terms of demographics, preoperative data, and cure rates. De novo urgency occurred in 13.4% of patients at 6 months after surgery, in 19.3% at 12 months, and in 22.1% at 36 months. De novo urgency was significantly more frequent in the TVT group than in the TOT group at 12 (22.2% vs 11.2%, P = 0.025), 24 (24.8% vs 12.3%, P = 0.033), and 36 (0% vs 24.7%, P = 0.034) months. Cure rates were similar in both groups. The final adjusted cure rate was 87.3% (319/366).

Conclusion

Treatment of SUI using the TOT procedure was associated with a lower rate of de novo urgency.     

Residents performance in transobturator tape procedures for stress urinary incontinence

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the operative time, surgical complications and patient outcomes of the TOT surgery performed by an experienced surgeon compared to those performed by a senior resident under proper supervision by a senior surgeon. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective, open label, randomized study was conducted at the department of urogynecology of the Ministry of Health Ankara Etlik Maternity and Women's Health Teaching Research Hospital between June 2003-June 2004. The study included 60 women who had stress urinary incontinence. Patients were randomly allocated to either the TOT surgery performed by an experienced surgeon group (Group 1, n=30) or the TOT surgery performed by a senior resident under proper supervision by a senior surgeon group (Group 2, n=30). The operative time, intraoperative and postoperative complications, intraoperative blood loss and the effectivity of the TOT procedure were recorded by a senior surgeon who did not participate to the operation. RESULTS: The study was completed by 55 women. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups. The mean operative time was significantly long in Group 2 compared with Group 1 (27 min [15-48]; 13 min [7-22], respectively). There was no difference between the Groups 1 and 2 in terms of the intraoperative and postoperative complications. No bladder injury was noted in Group 1. One bladder injury was observed in Group 2 and the bladder was repaired in the usual form by the assisting senior surgeon. Urinary retention was observed in two patients in Group 2 and the tapes were cut 7 days after the operation. Both of the patients have been dry since the intervention. The mean follow up period was 30 months. After the follow up period, there were no statistically significant differences in terms of cure, partial recovery and failure between two groups. CONCLUSION: There is no difference in the outcome when TOT is performed by residents under proper supervision.     

The efficacy of transobturator tape procedure in management of stress urinary incontinence in women

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study is to present the early outcome of stress urinary incontinence treatment in women using a new transobturator tape technique. METHODS: Between March 2004 and June 2005 67 women were operated on for stress urinary incontinence using the transobturator tape procedure. In 24 patients concomitant surgery for pelvic organ prolapse was performed. The patients were selected to the procedure after a thorough clinical and urodynamic examination. During the follow-up the cure rate and postoperative complications were assessed after an interview and clinical examination. RESULTS: The mean follow-up was 13,0 months (7,2-20,7 months). In 63 out of 67 patients the stress urinary incontinence was completely cured. In 3 patients the procedure failed. In one patient with preoperative mixed urinary incontinence the bladder hyperreactivity did not improve. Two patients presented with early postoperative voiding problems demanding prolonged catheterization. CONCLUSIONS: The early outcome of stress urinary incontinence treatment using the transobturator tape procedure is very encouraging. The technique seems very effective and the complication risk is low. Further evaluation for long term results is of great interest.     

Tension-free vaginal tape procedure and laparoscopic colposuspension in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Within the last decade we have seen substantial development in the surgical techniques used to treat female stress urinary incontinence. The laparoscopic approach became available and even less invasive methods like the tension-free vaginal tape procedure were introduced. RECENT FINDINGS: These procedures offer quicker recovery and faster return to normal activities after surgery compared with the older procedures. The tension-free vaginal tape technique has been extensively studied and clinical data from a significant number of prospective observational cohort studies have been published. The number of reports on laparoscopic incontinence surgery is more limited. Long-term follow-up results with reassuring cure rates at 5 and 7 years are available for the tension-free vaginal tape procedure. Three-year follow-up results for the laparoscopic colposuspension procedure show reasonable cure rates, though not as good as those reported for the open colposuspension, the 'gold standard'. Both of these techniques are now widely used in everyday clinical practice. Perioperative and immediate postoperative complication rates are low and acceptable. However, data are limited in terms of randomized clinical trials comparing these fairly new techniques. SUMMARY: This review attempts to highlight the recent clinical experience of these two surgical techniques, including cure rates, complications and cost-effectiveness.     

Improvement of sexual function after transobturator tape procedure in women with stress urinary incontinence

Sling procedures are a widely proven treatment for stress urinary incontinence. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the effect of the transobturator tape on female sexual functioning. Fifty-four women treated for stress urinary incontinence with transobturator tape filled out self-administered questionnaires on quality of life, urinary incontinence, and sexual function prior to surgery and 6 weeks and 12 months postoperatively. Preoperatively, 40 women (78%) were sexually active. There were no significant postoperative changes regarding frequency of sexual activity, sexual desire, and problems with lubrication or orgasm. Preoperatively, 55% reported urinary leakage during sexual activity and after surgery 6.5%. Sexual satisfaction was significantly improved 6 weeks (p = 0.05) and 12 months (p = 0.03) postoperatively. Pain during or after sexual activity was declined, only one patient reported worsening of pain. The transobturator tape procedure has a positive effect on female sexual functioning by reducing urinary leakage and pain during or after sexual activity. It seems to improve the overall sexual satisfaction. Further research is warranted to support these preliminary findings.     

Review of transobturator and retropubic tape procedures for stress urinary incontinence

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Recently, various types of tension free vaginal tapes via retropubic and transobturator route (inside-out technique; outside-in technique) have been adopted for treatment of stress urinary incontinence. The aim of this review is to assess the recent evidence on effectiveness and complications of these tapes in stress urinary incontinence. RECENT FINDINGS: There was no significant difference found between tension free vaginal tapes and colposuspension for the cure of stress urinary incontinence at 5 years in a multicentre randomized controlled trial. Vault and posterior vaginal wall prolapse were commoner after colposuspension. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis reported that subjective cure for inside-out technique (five randomized controlled trials) and outside-in technique (six randomized controlled trials) at 2-12 months was no better when compared with tension free vaginal tapes (odds ratio: 0.85; 95% confidence interval: 0.60-1.21). Bladder injuries (odds ratio: 0.12; 95% confidence interval: 0.05-0.33) and voiding difficulties (odds ratio: 0.55; 95% confidence interval: 0.31-0.98) were less common, whereas groin/thigh pain (odds ratio: 8.28; 95% confidence interval: 2.7-25.4) and vaginal injuries or mesh erosion (odds ratio: 1.96; 95% confidence interval: 0.87-4.39) were more common in transobturator tapes. Sexual function was overall improved; the pain being more with outside-in technique than inside-out technique route. SUMMARY: The tension free tapes are effective in treating stress urinary incontinence; evidence for superiority of transobturator over retropubic tapes is currently limited.     

Transobturatoric tape procedure for female stress urinary incontinence

To assess the efficacy and safety of the transobturatoric tape (TOT) procedure as a treatment for female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). All patients (n = 191) who underwent TOT between May 2003 and December 2004 were studied retrospectively. The study protocol involved recording of preoperative and perioperative details and postoperative subjective evaluation. The subjective outcome was assessed with two questionnaires at a mean of 20 and 34 months after the operation. The mean operation time of the patients without concomitant procedure was 19 min. The complication rate was low and postoperative recovery quick. The follow-up visit was scheduled 2–3 months after the procedure. The objective outcome assessment was done at the hospital for 50% of the patients, and the other half of the patients were followed up by their own gynecologist. During the follow-up visit (n = 151), 79% of the women were cured: 90% of the patients with genuine SUI and 60% of those with mixed urinary incontinence (MUI). The data of 40 patients was either not available from patients’ private gynecologists or the patients had not undergone a follow-up visit at all. For the first subjective outcome assessment, participating patients (n = 188) received a questionnaire. Three patients had died from unrelated causes during this follow-up. The response rate was 82.4%. Overall, 83.9% of the respondents reported significant improvement, of which 90.5% of the patients had genuine SUI and 70.0% of the patients had MUI, respectively. During the second outcome assessment, the response rate was 85.1% (160/188). At a mean of 34 months postoperatively, 87.5% of the patients reported significant improvement: 94.5% of the patients with genuine SUI and 72.0% of those with MUI. The incontinence operation through the transobturatoric route is a safe and effective treatment, especially for patients with pure SUI. The rate of continence was sustained during a follow-up of 34 months.     

Tension-free vaginal tape and laparoscopic mesh colposuspension for stress urinary incontinence

OBJECTIVE: To compare objective and subjective outcomes after the tension-free vaginal tape procedure (TVT) with laparoscopic mesh colposuspension as a primary treatment for female stress urinary incontinence. Objective outcome measures were stress test and 48-hour pad test. METHODS: In 6 departments of gynecology in Finland, including 4 university teaching hospitals and 2 central hospitals, 128 women with urodynamic stress incontinence were randomly allocated to 2 treatment groups. Seventy were treated with TVT and 51 by means of laparoscopic mesh colposuspension. There were 7 dropouts. Inclusion criteria were history of stress incontinence, positive stress test, and urodynamic conformation of stress incontinence. Exclusion criteria were age older than 70 years, previous incontinence surgery, more than 3 episodes of urinary tract infection within the last 2 years, coincident other gynecological surgery, body mass index more than 32 kg/m(2), urethral closure pressure less than 20 cm H(2)O, and residual volume more than 100 mL in preoperative urodynamic evaluation. Assessment took place before treatment and at 12 months postoperatively with the cough stress test, Urge Score, 48-hour pad test, King's College Health Questionnaire, Visual Analog Scale, and Urinary Incontinence Severity Score. RESULTS: When negative stress test was used as criteria for cure, 85.7% of women in the TVT group and 56.9% in the laparoscopic mesh colposuspension group were objectively cured. Subject satisfaction was significantly better after the TVT procedure than after laparoscopic mesh colposuspension. CONCLUSION: Treatment with TVT results in higher objective and subjective cure rates at 1 year than treatment by means of laparoscopic mesh colposuspension.     

Clinical and ultrasonographic comparison of tension-free vaginal tape and transobturator tape procedure for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) and the TVT-obturator (TVTO) procedures. DESIGN: Multicenter retrospective cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). SETTING: Tertiary teaching hospitals. PATIENTS: We reviewed 82 women with urodynamically proven stress incontinence undergoing either TVT (n = 53) or TVTO (n = 29) without concomitant surgery. INTERVENTION: TVT and TVTO procedure. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: All subjects underwent urinalyses, 1-hour pad testing, perineal ultrasonography, and urodynamic studies, as well as validated questionnaires before and 1 year after surgery. Mean operative time was significantly shorter in the TVTO group (16.8 +/- 10.7 minutes vs 28.6 +/- 6.9min, p <.01; unpaired t-test). The subjective and objective cure rates were comparable for the TVT and TVTO groups (p = .085 vs .19, respectively; Fisher's exact test). At rest or during Valsalva, the middle of the TVTO tape localized more distally than that of TVT on ultrasound scanning (p <.01; unpaired t-test). A higher rate of urethral kinking during straining was noted in the TVT group compared with the TVTO group after surgery (87% vs 25%, p <.01; chi2 test). After TVT, maximum urethral closure pressure increased significantly (83.6 +/- 24.6 cm H2O vs 69.2 +/- 25.9 cm H2O, p <.05), but this was not the case in the TVTO group (67.8 +/- 15.0 cm H2O vs 63.2 +/- 12.3 cm H2O, p >.05; paired t test). CONCLUSION: With comparable subjective and objective cure rates, TVTO has the advantages over TVT with shorter operative time. However, the TVTO tape is at a less acute angle and localizes to a more distal part of the urethra, resulting in a lower rate of urethral kinking and less urethral compression.     

Surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence by suburethral transobturator tape

OBJECTIVE: Assessment of the suburethral transobturator tape in the treatment of female urinary stress incontinence. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective evaluation of 39 slings. Three patients (7%) were lost to follow-up. Analysis was carried on 19 out/in procedures (mainly ObTape and Uratape slings) and 17 in/out procedures (TVT-O slings). Nine patients (25%) had a history of previous stress incontinence surgery. In 21 cases (58%) there was a concomitant surgical procedure, including genital prolapse repair (12) and total hysterectomy (6). Phone interviews were conducted with the validated questionnaires MHU and Ditrovie short form. RESULTS: The mean operative time was 17 minutes (10-30). Three vaginal wounds (8%) were immediately repaired. Two urinary retentions (5%) were managed by suprapubic catheterization for more than 10 days. With a mean follow-up of 12 months (4-23) the subjective effectiveness on stress incontinence was 89% (cure: 58%; improvement: 31%). Urge incontinence symptoms were cured in 47% of mixed incontinences. Two patients reported an important dysuria. Two sling exposures occurred. Quality of life scores were significantly improved (mean 1,7 versus 3,2, p=0,002). The level of satisfaction reached 89% (very satisfied: 50%; satisfied: 39%). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This technique is safe and effective. Our results are nevertheless inferior to those previously reported. Prospective randomised studies comparing the two surgical routes are required.     

Tension-free vaginal tape for elderly women with stress urinary incontinence.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of the tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) procedure for the management of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in elderly women. METHOD: A total of 55 women aged between 65 and 86 years underwent a TVT procedure for urodynamic SUI. Of these, 15 (27%) had undergone previous surgery for treatment of SUI. Before the TVT procedure, a complete medical history was taken and a gynecologic examination performed. RESULTS: Operating time ranged between 11 and 35 min (excluding the time of concomitant surgery, if any); hospitalization time ranged between 1 and 5 days; and no severe intraoperative or postoperative complications occurred. Cure occurred in 39 (76%) of 51 evaluable patients and its rate was positively associated with bladder neck mobility. Among patients in whom the angle of displacement on the Q-tip test was less than 30 degrees , 42% became continent whereas among those in whom it was 30 degrees or higher, 90% became continent (P<.001). Among those in whom the angle was between 20 degrees and 30 degrees, 57% became continent, and among those in whom it was less than 10 degrees, 80% remained incontinent. CONCLUSION: The TVT procedure in elderly women with SUI offers a satisfactory cure rate; however, in patients with significantly decreased bladder neck mobility (an angle <20 degrees on the Q-tip test), the results are not encouraging.     

Vaginal tape erosion following transobturator tape (TOT) operation for stress urinary incontinence.

Inorganic sling materials when used for treatment of urinary stress incontinence have a high success rate of achieving continence. They unfortunately attract the complication of vaginal tape erosion. When used for Transobturator tape procedure (TOT) we found the Obtape sling (Mentor-Porges, Le Plessis-Robinson, France) attracted a high rate of erosion, likely due to the tape properties. We describe a series of tape erosions with the Obtape sling, the presentation, conservative and surgical management with favourable rates of maintenance of continence. We suggest the use of larger pore sized tapes to decrease the occurrence of vaginal tape erosion.     

Tension-free vaginal tape versus tension-free vaginal tape obturator in women with stress urinary incontinence

BACKGROUND: To assess the efficacy and complications of tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) versus tension-free vaginal tape obturator in women with urodynamic stress incontinence. METHODS: Prospective, randomized study. Initially, 91 patients were included in the study and 89 of them were available at 12 months follow-up. Forty-six patients were subjected to classic TVT procedure and 43 to transobturator vaginal tape from inside to outside (TVT-O) operation. There was no significant difference between the groups for age, BMI, menopausal status and prolapse. No patients had cystocele greater than stage I. Subjective and objective cure and improvement rate, mean operative time, hospital stay and complications incidence were assessed. RESULTS: Mean operative time was significant shorter in the TVT-O group (17.4 +/- 6.9 min) compared to the TVT group (26.7 +/- 8.6 min). There was no significant difference in the duration of hospital stay between two groups. The objective cure rate for TVT group was 89%, the improvement rate was 6.5%, the failure rate was 4.3% and the subjective cure rate 73.9%. The objective cure rate for TVT-O group was 90%, the improvement rate was 7.6%, the failure rate was 2.5% and the subjective cure rate 76.7%. The hemoglobin loss ranged between 1.0 +/- 0.5 g/dl for TVT group and 0.9 +/- 0.4 g/dl for TVT-O group. CONCLUSION: The TVT-O technique presents success rates comparable to the classic TVT method in the short term.     

Transobturator tape procedure versus tension-free vaginal tape for treatment of stress urinary incontinence

Objective

To compare the efficacy and safety of the tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) and inside-out transobturator tape (TVT-O) procedures for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Methods

A total of 315 women with or without concomitant pelvic organ prolapse repairs were randomly allocated to undergo a TVT or TVT-O procedure. Demographic data, intra- and postoperative complications, and surgical outcomes were analyzed.

Results

Fifteen patients were lost to follow-up. There were no significant differences in cure rates between the 2 groups at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months' follow-up. Hematomas occurred in 4 patients and there were 6 vaginal tape erosions. Urinary retention and de novo urinary urgency were similar in both groups. The operative time was significantly shorter for TVT-O than for TVT without other procedures (P < 0.001) and postoperative groin/thigh pain was higher (P < 0.05) in the TVT-O group.

Conclusion

Both techniques appear equally effective for the treatment of SUI. However, TVT-O had a shorter operative time and a higher rate of groin/thigh pain.     

Tension-free vaginal tape obturator versus Ajust adjustable single incision sling procedure in women with urodynamic stress urinary incontinence

Objective

To assess the efficacy and complications of inside-out transobturator tension-free vaginal tape (TVT-O) in comparison with a single incision sling procedure (Ajust) for the treatment of urodynamic stress urinary incontinence.

Study design

Prospective closely matched controlled study. In total, 171 patients were included in the study: 86 women underwent the TVT-O procedure, while in other 85 cases the Ajust procedure was performed. Subjective and objective cure, improvement and failure rates, mean operative time, hospital stay and incidence of complications were assessed.

Results

There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups for age, body mass index, parity, menopausal status and severity of prolapse. No major intraoperative complications occurred. There was no significant difference in the mean operative time and the duration of hospital stay between the two groups. The mean follow-up time of the study was 22.3 months (range 12–36 months). For the TVT-O group the objective cure rate was 86%, the improvement rate was 5.9% and the failure rate was 8.1%, while the subjective cure rate was 82.6%. For the Ajust group the objective cure rate was 84.7%, the improvement rate was 4.7%, 10.6% of patients showed no change in their symptoms and the subjective cure rate was 81.2%.

Conclusions

The Ajust sling procedure presents success rates, at 22 months’ mean follow up, comparable to the TVT-O method. Both techniques seem to be safe and effective for the treatment of urodynamic stress urinary incontinence.     

The comparison of an inexpensive-modified transobturator vaginal tape versus TVT-O procedure for the surgical treatment of female stress urinary incontinence

ObjectiveTo compare the safety and efficacy of an inexpensive–modified transobturator vaginal tape procedure with the transobturator tension-free vaginal tape (TVT-O) procedure for the surgical treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI).Materials and MethodsPatients with SUI were randomly allocated to either the test group receiving the inexpensive–modified transobturator vaginal tape procedure or the control group receiving the GYNECARE TVT-O procedure. Treatment outcomes and Quality-of-life scores were recorded and analyzed between two groups.ResultsA total of 156 patients were enrolled in this trial. Eighty patients underwent the modified transobturator vaginal tape procedure. Among them 75(93.8%) were cured and 5(6.2%) were improved. The rest of the 76 patients underwent the GYNECARE TVT-O procedure with a 92% (70 of 76) cure rate and an 8% (6 of 76) improvement rate. No inefficient or aggravated cases occurred in both groups. The success rates between groups had no significant statistic difference (p > 0.05). The operative time, blood loss, hospital stay, and medical cost were significantly lower in the test group (p < 0.01); the increases in Quality-of-life scores were comparable between groups.ConclusionsThe modified transobturator vaginal tape procedure is an efficacious and economic surgical treatment for female SUI.