Effectiveness and quality of life 10 years after transobturator suburethral tape surgery for stress urinary incontinence

Quality of life and anxiety 12 and 36 months after surgical SUI treatment in postmenopausal women

BACKGROUND

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a common condition that affects a significant group of postmenopausal women, lowering quality of life, leading to embarrassment, social isolation, and decreased physical activity. SUI can be treated with medication, behavioral changes, pelvic floor muscle exercises, or surgical intervention. This study aimed to assess the changes in quality of life, acceptance of illness, and impact on physical activity, in patients after the transobturator tape (TOT) procedure following long-term assessment.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Forty-five women aged 71.52 ± 4.12 years took part in our follow-up project at 12 and 36 months after surgical intervention. The World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), Acceptance of Illness Scale Questionnaire (AIS), and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) were used in the study.

RESULTS

At 36 months after surgery, SUI using TOT showed a significant improvement in health acceptance. Also, there was a number of patients who reported a high level of acceptance according to the AIS.

CONCLUSION

Elderly women with SUI, after treatment by TOT, showed a significant improvement in health acceptance 3 years after the procedure.

Safety and efficacy of surgical transobturator tape in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women - three years of follow-up

Introduction/Objective. Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is defined as the complaint of involuntary loss of urine in effort or physical exertion, or on sneezing or coughing. It is a common clinical condition affecting 50% of middle-aged and elderly women. Mid-urethral slings (MUSs) are the gold standard in the treatment of SUI. The aim of this study was to investigate the success rate and complications of surgical treatment of SUI in women with transobturator tape (TOT) within the three years of follow-up. Methods. From January 2011 until January 2018, 86 women with predominantly SUI were operated by TOT procedure. In 61.6% of patients SUI was confirmed by preoperative urodynamic examination (cystometry, uroflowmetry, urethral presser profile) and in 38.4% of patients by clinical examination of stress test (cough provocation). All patients were invited for a follow-up examination 6, 12, 24 and 36 months after surgery. The result of the operation is defined as cured, improved or without success. Results. The average age was 55 (32-72) years. The most common complications were tape erosion (3.5%), incision bleeding (2.3%), transient leg pain (3.5%), dyspareunia (2.3%), vaginal erosion (3.5%) and de novo urge (5.8%). After three years of follow-up, 82.6% patients were cured. Conclusion. TOT is a safe, effective and successful procedure with 82.6% of cured patients during a three-year follow-up.

Contasure-needleless single incision slings versus transobturator slings (TOT/TVT-O) for female patients with stress urinary incontinence: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

To assess the current evidence on the effectiveness and safety of Contasure-Needleless (C-NDL) versus transobturator slings (TOT/TVT-O) in the management of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Methods

A comprehensive literature review of articles that investigated the efficacy and safety of C-NDL and TOT/TVT-O was performed based on studies published before June 2019 and retrieved from PubMed, Embase, CNKI and the Cochrane Library. Two reviewers searched the literature, independently extracted the data and evaluated the quality of the data according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A meta-analysis was performed by using Review Manager 5.3 software.

Results

Seven studies with 1188 SUI female patients without intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD) or mixed urinary incontinence were included. Our meta-analysis showed that the clinical efficacy of C-NDL is statistically non-inferior to that of TOT / TVT-O in terms of subjective cure rate [OR = 0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.53 to 1.10), p = 0.15] and objective cure rate [OR = 0.78, 95% CI (0.53 to 1.13), p = 0.19]. In addition, operating times were statistically shorter with C-NDL compared to TOT / TVT-O [mean difference (MD) = − 7.38, 95% CI (− 10.73 to − 4.04), p < 0.0001]. In terms of the postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) and the incidence of postoperative pain, C-NDL has a greater advantage [MD = − 1.71, 95% CI (− 2.91 to − 0.50), p = 0.005]; [OR = 0.21, 95% CI (0.05 to 0.96), p = 0.04]. Complication rates were statistically similar between the groups, except for groin pain which was higher in TOT / TVT-O.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that C-NDL slings have similar short-term efficacy as TOT/TVT-O in curing SUI patients. Compared with TOT/TVT-O, C-NDL is associated with a shorter operative time, and the incidence of postoperative pain is decreased. Nevertheless, these findings should be further confirmed through large-volume, well-designed prospective randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with long-term follow-up.

Women living with a midurethral sling in their 80s: long-term outcomes

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS

Surgical outcomes of elderly women who have been treated using midurethral slings could be influenced by confounding factors, such as age-related comorbidities. Aim of this study is to assess elderly patients (>75 years) who underwent a transobturator sling procedure with a follow-up of at least 13 years.

METHODS

This is a prospective follow-up observational study including elderly women of current age ≥ 75 years old who underwent TVT-O placement at least 13 years prior to the study period. Main outcome measures were the objective and subjective cure rates at the follow-up visit. Secondary outcome measures included: patient-reported success rate, de novo urgency symptoms rate, evaluation of other subjective parameters related to the lower urinary tract function, and assessment of the health-related quality of life.

RESULTS

Seventy-two out of 85 women (84.7%) meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were assessed at the follow-up visit. The mean follow-up period was 13.7 years (SD = 0.8). The overall objective and subjective cure rates were 80.5% (58 out of 72) and 84.7% (61 out of 72) respectively, whereas 9.7% of the patients (7 out of 72) reported being subjectively improved. The patient-reported success rate was 91.7% (66 out of 72). De novo urgency rate was 23.7% (9 out of 38), whereas 26.5% of the patients (9 out of 34) reported aggravation of preexisting urgency.

CONCLUSIONS

In women of advanced age, the TVT-O procedure is a highly effective and long-lasting treatment. The safety profile of the TVT-O was not influenced by geriatric conditions, whereas the long-term presence of a polypropylene sling did not appear to trigger the onset of medical disorders.