The pubofascial anchor sling procedure for recurrent genuine urinary stress incontinence.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate, in a preliminary study, the outcome of a modified pubovaginal sling operation with titanium bone anchors for recurrent genuine stress urinary incontinence (GSI) in women. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective study included 13 consecutive women who underwent the modified sling procedure between September 1994 and August 1996. The subjective and objective cure of urinary stress incontinence, and the occurrence of postoperative osteitis pubis, were assessed. RESULTS: All 13 patients subjectively claimed complete urinary continence and 12 were objectively cured (12 patients agreed to undergo a repeat urodynamic study) during a median (range) follow-up of 26 (19-38) months. There were no cases of postoperative osteitis pubis, bladder injury or major complications. Mild suprapubic pain was a frequent and self-limiting complication. CONCLUSIONS: This innovative modified sling procedure is effective for recurrent urinary stress incontinence, with no complication of osteitis pubis. We suggest that this procedure should be considered as a treatment for recurrent GSI and perhaps for primary GSI. A study incorporating a longer follow-up and more patients has been planned.     

Detrusor instability following surgery for genuine stress incontinence.

Nnety-two female patients with genuine stress incontinence, and with otherwise normal bladder function, were treated by a colposuspension operation. Pre-operative and post-operative clinical and urodynamic assessments were performed on all patients. Following surgery 17 of them were found to have detrusor instability.     

Pelvic physiotherapy in genuine stress incontinence.

In a prospective cohort study, the effect of pelvic physiotherapy on genuine stress incontinence, factors that influence therapy outcome, and patients' attitudes toward physiotherapy were studied. The study group consisted of 52 ambulatory and mentally fit Caucasian women (mean age, 53 years), suffering from genuine stress incontinence and who had no contraindications for surgery. They had physiotherapy twice weekly for ten weeks. The aim of physiotherapy was strengthening the pelvic floor muscles under control of digital vaginal palpation. Therapy outcome was assessed by a questionnaire and by the patients' self-monitoring urinary diary recording pad changes (52) and number of leakage episodes (35) before treatment and at end of therapy. The questionnaire also served to determine how patients appreciated physiotherapy. Physiotherapy had a low cure rate (+/- 25%) but a high improvement rate causing a decreased demand for surgery. At follow-up (mean 14 months) its beneficial effect was maintained. To date, only 10 patients (19%) have undergone surgery. Severity of symptoms was the only limiting factor. We conclude that every woman with urinary stress incontinence is a potential candidate for physiotherapy but surgical treatment as an option must remain open. Overall, physiotherapy was well accepted since episodes of urinary incontinence were less frequent and therefore bearable; however, changes in patients' behavior play a role.     

Suburethral sling procedure for genuine stress incontinence and low urethral closure pressure. A continued experience

Forty-eight patients with genuine stress incontinence and low urethral closure pressure have undergone a suburethral sling procedure using polytetrafluoroethylene. Forty-five of the 48 patients have been followed up beyond 3 months, allowing assessment of postoperative complications. Ten patients required intermittent self-catheterization, 6 continuing beyond 3 months secondary to obstructed voiding or vesical dysfunction. Six slings were removed due to graft infection and/or vaginal mucosa erosion. All patients who were continent prior to removal remained so afterwards. Two slings were loosened secondary to obstructed voiding (1 patient experienced improved voiding, the other continued intermittent catheterization). Sixty-two per cent (28/45) of the patients followed, developed at least one documented urinary tract infection. Thirty-four of the 45 patients followed, underwent postoperative multichannel urodynamic testing. Ten patients (29%) demonstrated postoperative detrusor instability (5 were new onset, 5 were persistent). Six improved with medication and bladder retraining drills. Twenty-eight of the 34 patients tested (82.4%) were objectively cured of genuine stress incontinence. In spite of the complications noted, this suburethral sling procedure offers a high success rate and is a viable alternative in treating patients with genuine stress incontinence and low urethral closure pressure. Modifications in surgical technique have been made to reduce postoperative complications in the future.     

A new needle suspension procedure for genuine stress incontinence and anterior vaginal wall prolapse

A new suspension method was developed for the correction of anterior vaginal wall relaxation and genuine stress incontinence. This procedure suspends the anterior vaginal wall to the anterior rectus fascia, and in doing so gives support to the bladder neck, anterior vaginal wall and vaginal apex. The procedure is performed at the time of vaginal hysterectomy or correction of anterior vaginal wall relaxation. The authors present their experience with this technique in 31 patients.Editorial Comment: Numerous types of surgery for the simultaneous correction of stress incontinence and cystocele and/or procidentia have been described in the literature. Some have proved more efficient for the correction of stress incontinence and others for the correction of disturbed pelvic support. The authors use the known method of needle suspension for the correction of stress incontinence, but for the new purpose of correction of cystocele/procidentia and stress incontinence. If necessary, vaginal hysterectomy can be performed with the originally planned intervention. As the criterion of an efficient outcome for the correction of genital statics, the author uses a vaginal depth of greater than 5 cm, which is less than normal. The successful correction of genital statics after 24 months was reported to be 93%, which is an extremely favorable result, resembling the success rate achieved by much more complicated surgeries (e.g. sacrospinous vault fixation or fixation of the vagina to the sacrum). The successful correction of stress incontinence in 82% of patients after 24 months is also favorable, and comparable to the results achieved by other surgical methods of needle suspension for the correction of stress incontinence.     

Pathophysiologic subdivision of genuine stress incontinence

A pressure/cross-sectional-area probe was used to describe permanently and adjunctively acting urethral closure forces and urethral deformability at the bladder neck and midure-thrally in 30 females with genuine stress incontinence (GSI). The permanent closure forces were described in terms of urethral pressure and elastance and the adjunctive closure forces in terms of power generation during coughing and squeezing. Urethral deformability was assessed from related values of urethral pressure and elastance. Twenty-eight (93%) patients had reduced permanent and/or adjunctive closure forces both at the bladder neck and midurethrally. Various combinations of reduced closure forces were found at the two sites of measurement. Different pathophysiological subgroups could be defined. In the largest group of patients both the permanent and the adjunctive closure forces were reduced. A small group of patients was characterized by decreased urethral deformability. It is concluded that both the bladder neck and mid-urethral sphincter mechanisms are weakened in GSI. The underlying cause is not a single defect in urethral physiology; it is most often the result of weakening of one or more closure mechanisms (intramural and/or extrinsic) and the inability of the other to compensate. The identification of pathophysiologic subgroups may improve the scientific basis for selection of treatment modalities.     

The pathophysiology of genuine stress incontinence

Urinary continence in the female is maintained as long as intraurethral pressure exceeds bladder pressure. The elements which maintain this condition at rest and during stress include: internal urethral sphincter, external urethral sphincter, anatomic support of the urethrovesical junction, and intact innervation. Urethral junction and presence of genuine stress incontinence may be best assessed by measurement of resting and stress urethral closure pressure profiles using multichannel urodynamic testing. The findings subsequent to urethral closure pressure profilometry influence the kind of therapy selected, including types of surgery, when this treatment option is chosen.     

Slings in surgery of genuine stress incontinence

Purpose

To summarize the available evidence concerning efficacy and safety of standard mid-urethral sling (SMUS) operations for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Methods and results

A non-systematic literature review was carried out in order to collect the available evidence concerning efficacy and safety of SMUS operations for the treatment of SUI. According to the data of our prior meta-analysis, patients receiving SMUS had significantly higher overall and objective cure rates than those receiving Burch colposuspension, although they had a higher risk of bladder perforations. Patients undergoing SMUS and pubovaginal slings had similar cure rates, although the latter were slightly more likely to experience storage lower urinary tract symptoms and had a higher reoperation rate. Patients treated with retropubic SMUS had slightly higher objective cure rates than those treated with transobturator tape (TOT); however, subjective cure rates were similar, and patients treated with TOT had a much lower risk of some complications. Meta-analysis demonstrated similar outcomes for TOTs. With regard to the novel mini-sling, another meta-analysis from Abdel-fattah et al. demonstrated that repeat continence surgery and de novo urgency incontinence were significantly higher in the patients treated with mini-slings.

Conclusion

Patients treated with retropubic tape (RT) experienced slightly higher continence rates than those treated with Burch colposuspension, but they faced a much higher risk of intraoperative complications. RT and pubovaginal slings were similarly effective. The use of RT was followed by objective cure rates slightly higher than TOT and by higher risk of complications. The novel mini-slings do not seem to be more effective than the SMUS.     

Concurrent genuine stress incontinence and detrusor instability

Forty-six patients with both genuine stress incontinence (GSI) and detrusor instability (DI), as determined by urodynamic evaluation, were treated with medication or surgery and followed for 6 months. It was found that 60% responded favorably to medical therapy with imipramine hydrochloride, oxybutynin chloride, or dicyclomine hydrochloride. Surgery for stress incontinence was performed in 24 patients, including 17 started initially on medication. Surgical cure was achieved in 38% of these 24 patients, and a further 29% of the surgical group were cured with additional drug therapy. Overall, 85% of patients responded favorably to medication and/or surgery. Patients with combined GSI and DI require detailed urodynamics and may be candidates for surgery, in spite of the coexistent DI.     

The conservative management of genuine stress incontinence

All conservative methods of treating genuine stress incontinence (GSI) aim to increase the urethral closure pressure, either by increasing pelvic floor or urethral muscular tone (pelvic floor physiotherapy, electrostimulation, alpha-adrenergic agents), increasing tissue occlusive forces (hormone replacement) or by mechanical means. Simple pelvic floor exercises should suffice for motivated patients who are able to isolate the correct muscles. In the remainder the choice seems to lie between interferential therapy and treatment using weighted cones. Both are equally effective, but it would seem that the cones require less supervision by a trained therapist, treatment therefore being less timeconsuming for both patient and therapist.Drug therapy may be useful in cases of GSI when used as an adjunctive therapy, and may effect a cure where there has been an improvement in symptoms resulting from an enhanced pelvic floor tone. Surgery is required if these methods fail, but in those patients who are not suitable for such an approach, mechanical devices or a combination of methods may be tried.     

The use of porcine dermal implant in a minimally invasive pubovaginal sling procedure for genuine stress incontinence

OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcome of a suburethral sling using a porcine dermal implant (Pelvicoltrade mark, Bard Urology, UK) in the surgical management of urinary stress incontinence. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty women with urodynamically confirmed genuine stress incontinence were recruited into the study and followed up at 6 weeks and at least 6 months (mean 12 months, range 6-18). The sling was inserted using a minimal-access technique, which allowed 23 women to be operated as day-cases. Outcome measures included continence rates, voiding dysfunction, satisfaction scores and whether the patients would recommend the operation to a friend or relative. RESULTS: The cure rate was 85%, with sustained benefit; a further 10% of the women were improved by surgery. Voiding dysfunction rates were low and satisfaction scores high. Most women would undergo the procedure again if they became incontinent in the future and would recommend the procedure to a friend or relative. CONCLUSION: A minimal access pubovaginal sling using Pelvicoltrade mark is effective in treating stress incontinence. The complication rate is low and the procedure can be performed as a day-case with no loss of efficacy.     

Modified urethral sling for the treatment of genuine stress incontinence and latent incontinence

The results of 143 women who underwent a modified urethral sling using Marlex mesh for the correction of stress urinary incontinence and latent stress incontinence, as diagnosed by clinical and urodynamic testing, are examined. The overall success rate for the surgical correction of genuine stress urinary incontinence was 99% during a median follow-up time of 1 year (range 0.12–4 years). There was a 12% postoperative incidence of varying degrees of genital prolapse. Difficulty with voiding resulting in the need for self-catheterization occurred in 17% of patients in the first 6 weeks, but only 2.8% were needing self-catheterizing after 1 year. There was a difference in peak flow preoperatively compared with 1 year postoperatively (20.5 ml/s v 15.7 ml/s, P=0.0003). Patients with a normal peak flow preoperatively (>20 ml/s) were more compromised at 1 year postoperatively (28 ml/s preoperatively, 18.4 ml/s postoperatively, P=0.00001), than women with an abnormal preoperative flow (<20 ml/s), (13.2 ml/s preoperatively, 13.5 ml/s postoperatively). Whether the operation was done for overt or latent stress incontinence did not affect postoperative flow results. It was not possible to predict by preoperative uroflow testing which patients were likely to need intermittent self-catheterization postoperatively. One year after surgery there were no significant alterations in bladder capacity (CMG) or urethral pressure profile measurements. There were no statistically significant changes in uroflow patterns when comparing primary and secondary surgical groups.     

One month maximal electrostimulation for genuine stress incontinence in women

While awaiting surgery for genuine urinary stress incontinence, 51 women with were treated at home for 1 month with vaginal maximal electrostimulation. They were evaluated subjectively, urodynamically, and with two different pad tests. Six patients (12%) were cured and 17 (33%) were much improved, subjectively and objectively. Statistically significant improvement was observed for both pad tests. Successful treatment was significantly more likely in women with milder degrees of incontinence but was unrelated to age or urethral pressure. Patient acceptance was excellent and apart from some vaginal soreness no complications were seen. Sixteen patients (31%) elected not to be operated on. These 16 patients were reevaluated after 1 year and 13 (81%) had maintained their improvement. Three had disimproved but were still better than before treatment; 2 again refused surgery and 1 opted for surgery. Therefore, 15 of 51 (29%) operations were saved after 1 year. This conservative treatment for stress incontinence is safe, simple, inexpensive, and reasonably successful. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Pubovaginal sling procedure for stress incontinence

Urinary stress incontinence associated with poor urethral sphincter function and indicated by a urethral pressure of less than 10 cm. water was treated in 52 cases with a pubovaginal autogenous fascial sling. No urethral sphincter function could be measured in 7 patients. Of these 52 patients 42 had undergone a previous operation for stress incontinence. The uninhibited detrusor dysfunction that accompanied the stress incontinence in 29 cases ceased after operation in 20 but persisted in 9. Postoperative urethral pressure measurements indicated that while the sling increased urethral pressure it did not cause an obstruction during voiding, since there was a measurable decrease in urethral pressure during a detrusor contraction. Urodynamic determination were useful in patient selection, in the adjustment of sling tension at operation and in the assessment of reasons for failure. A satisfactory result with good urinary control was obtained in 50 cases and the procedure was a failure in 2.     

Results in 32 women operated for genuine stress incontinence with the pubovaginal sling procedure ad modum Ed McGuire

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of the sling procedure in curing genuine stress incontinence in women. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-two women underwent the pubovaginal fascial sling procedure because of genuine stress incontinence. Currently, the patients are still monitored in order to check the efficiency of the treatment. RESULTS: The patients have been followed for a period of 5 years, and 30 patients are cured from stress urinary incontinence. One patient is improved, one is lost to follow up. Five patients experience intermittent minor degree of urge incontinence. Two patients have to perform clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) from time to time; one also did this before the operation. CONCLUSION: The sling procedure is a superior operation for patients that suffer from genuine stress incontinence, and should be the first choice of treatment.     

Urodynamic parameters in patients with slight and severe genuine stress incontinence: Is the stress profile useful?

This study evaluates the usefulness of the urethral pressure profile (UPP) parameters in assessing the severity of genuine stress incontinence (GSI). Functional length (FL), maximum urethral closure pressure (MUCP), pressure transmission ratio (PTR), residual area at stress (RAS), number of patients with incontinent spikes (IS), and distribution of IS on UPP were determined in supine and standing position for 54 patients (group I) with a 1 -hour pad test < 2 g and compared with the values of 63 patients (group 2) with a 1 -hour pad test > 2 g. The results were similar: FL (supine: 24 mm ± 6/26 mm ± 7 [P:0.2]; standing: 26 mm ± 8/24 mm ± 11 [P:0.5]); MUCP (supine: 51 cm H₂O ± 23/47 cm H₂O ± 20 [P:0.3]; standing: 45 cm H₂O ± 21/38 cm H₂O ± 18 [P:0.1]); and PTR (supine: 83% ± 27/84% ± 31 [P:0.9]; standing: 81% ± 25 and 88% ± 27 [P:0.3]). But the RAS was lower (supine: 502 mm² ± 497/246 mm² ± 268 [P < 0.009]; standing: 500 mm² ± 534/271 mm² ± 306 [P < 0.05]) in group 2. If the percentage of patients with IS was higher (supine: 57/93% [P < 0.001 ]; standing: 54/84% [P] < 0.011) in group 2, the distribution of IS over the entire FL demonstrated no differences between group 1 and 2. In conclusion, except for the RAS, standard UPP parameters cannot be considered determinant in assessing the severity of GSI. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

改良Stamey手术治疗压力性尿失禁（附32例报告）

报告１９８６年７月以来应用Ｓｔａｍｅｙ手术，并以自制长导针将该法加以改进治疗女性压力性尿失禁共３２例，无明显并发症。术后平均随访３．６年，治愈９０．６％（２９／３２），改善６．２％（２／３２），失败３．２％（１／３２），并就Ｓｔａｍｅｙ手术的手术径路，尿道膀胱连接部的确认和悬吊力量大小的确定进行讨论。     

Gittes改良法治疗女性压力性尿失禁（附11例报告）

采用不切开阴道壁的Ｇｉｔｔｅｓ改良法长针膀胱颈悬吊术治疗女性压力性尿失禁１１例，治愈率９１％。手术关键：穿刺点准确，悬吊标准：（１）牵引力３００－４００ｇ；（２）尿道内口闭合；（３）后尿道膀胱角（ＰＵＶ）恢复到９０度－１００度；（４）膀胱内流注水试验无尿液外溢。