Bladder Outlet Obstruction After Incontinence Surgery

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is said to effect up to 80 % of all women who complain of some type of urinary leakage. As education about the diagnosis and treatment of SUI becomes more widespread, there is a need for understanding the efficacy and potential complications of the therapies used to treat this condition. It is widely accepted that the gold standard for treatment of SUI is mid-urethral sling (MUS). One significant complication of the MUS procedure is subsequent bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). We review the incidence and etiology of BOO following MUS and hope this document can be used as a guide for identifying patients who may be affected by postsurgical BOO. Additionally, we discuss modalities for achieving a timely and accurate diagnosis and highlight recent evidence regarding the various applications of urodynamic studies, when concerned for BOO. Lastly, various managements of this complication are discussed. This chapter serves as a comprehensive overview of BOO after incontinence procedures, highlighting the recent research contributions, which have enhanced our understanding of this potential complication when treating SUI.