One-year outcomes of mid-urethral sling procedures for stress urinary incontinence according to body mass index

The impact of overweight in the efficiency and complications of midurethral sling in patients with stress urinary incontinence: a systematic review and meta-analysis

AIMS

To compare the efficiency and complications of normal weight and overweight women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after surgery.

METHODS

We searched the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library Databases to identify all compared results, including those involving the terms normal weight, overweight, body mass index (BMI), and SUI. After treatment with surgery, the efficiency (subjective cure rate, objective cure rate, UDI-6, and IIQ-7) and complications were compared between the normal weight and overweight groups.

RESULTS

The study inclusion criteria were met by 20 studies involving 3829 patients. The data synthesized from these studies indicated that the subjective and objective cure rates in the normal weight group were significantly more effective than those in the overweight group (RR 1.07; 95% CI 1.04-1.10; P < 0.00001; RR 1.24; 95% CI 1.18-1.30; P < 0.00001), while the IIQ-7 and UDI-6 were no different between the two groups (MD 0.07; 95% CI - 1.44 to 1.58; P = 0.93; MD 0.18; 95% CI - 1.24 to 1.60; P = 0.81). For the data of complications, only the urgency was more in the overweight group (RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.55-0.84, P = 0.0003).

CONCLUSIONS

The objective success rate and subjective success rate of the surgery were higher in normal weight patients than those in overweight patients. Also, the side effects between the two groups were not significantly different.

Cell Therapy Clinical Trials for Stress Urinary Incontinence: Current Status and Perspectives

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) affects 200 million people worldwide. Standard therapies often provide symptomatic relief, but without targeting the underlying etiology, and show tremendous patient-to-patient variability, limited success and complications associated with the procedures. We review in this article the latest clinical trials performed to treat SUI using cell-based therapies. These therapies, despite typically including only a small number of patients and short term evaluation of results, have proven to be feasible and safe. However, there is not yet a consensus for the best cell source to be used to treat SUI and not all patients may be suitable for these therapies. Therefore, more clinical trials should be promoted recruiting large number of patients and evaluating long term results.

Obesity and its implications on nononcological urological surgery

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To review and summarize the current literature of the implications of obesity on nononcological urological surgery. We conducted a comprehensive search of the current literature with emphasis on the published literature in the last 18 months.

RECENT FINDINGS

Over time, obese patients have become a more common encounter in clinical practice. Obesity represents a considerable operative challenge and has been linked to a higher rate of postoperative complications. Data regarding surgery for incontinence are inconsistent. Nevertheless, the success rates in obese women are high, and complication rates are relatively low with comparable results to nonobese women. In renal surgery, percutaneous nephrolithotomy and minipercutaneous nephrolithotomy are feasible, well tolerated, and effective even in obese patients. However, certain precautions and availability of proper instruments are necessary.

SUMMARY

Although randomized clinical data are lacking and the results of many studies are inconsistent, evidence supports the feasibility and safety of different nononcological urological interventions in obese patients. Moreover, the success rates and the overall complication rates seem to be comparable to nonobese patients with some exceptions.

Obesity and Pelvic Floor Disorders: A Review of the Literature

Overweight and obesity are becoming a worldwide health problem associated with numerous co-morbidities. National costs of obesity and pelvic flor disorders have been rising since the 1950s across the world. Obesity is thought to have a very strong effect on pelvic floor disorders, and, considering the high prevalence of both problems worldwide, it is of utmost importance to evaluate the association between these pathologies as well as the impact of obesity on treatment efficacy. This review is based on a selection of reports in the literature (PubMed search), including guidelines and Cochrane reviews.

Obesity seems to be a well-documented risk factor for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and is a predictor of exacerbation of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and overactive bladder (OAB). Weight loss is also associated with improvement or resolution of SUI and OAB. In the case of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), weight loss is associated with improvement in quality of life. Although obesity is associated with POP in general, the exact role of obesity in symptomatic POP remains uncertain. While outcomes of anti-incontinence surgery among obese women are similar to those in non-obese women, postoperative urge incontinence is more likely to occur. It seems that obesity is not a risk factor for postoperative complications or short-term efficacy of POP surgical treatment. Long-term effects are still uncertain.

Obesity is a strong risk factor for LUTS, but in most cases it does not affect efficacy of operative treatment. It may be associated with some post-operative complications. Weight loss in many cases allows avoiding surgical intervention.

Efficacy and safety of the trans-obturator TVT-Abbrevo device in normal weight compared to overweight patients affected by stress urinary incontinence

OBJECTIVE

To investigate if TVT-Abbrevo has similar outcomes in normal weight and overweight patients.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective evaluation of 205 (105 normal weight women and 100 overweight women with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2)) undergone TVT-Abbrevo positioning with 12 month follow-up. Primary outcomes were objective cure rate (defined as no leakage during CST) and subjective cure rate ("very much improved"/"much improved" at PGI-I), secondary outcomes were intra-operative and post-operative complications.

RESULTS

Objective cure rates in the normal and overweight groups were 96.2% and 94%, respectively (p=.47). Subjective cure rates in the normal and overweight groups were 90.5% and 88%, respectively (p=.57). ICIQ-SF, I-QoL and PGI-S scores significantly improved in both groups with no differences between the two groups. No serious intra- or post-operative complications were observed. No differences were observed in pain VAS scores and number of analgesic vials administered.

CONCLUSIONS

TVT-Abbrevo seems to have similar efficacy and safety in normal weight and overweight women. More studies are needed to assess the efficacy of this device in frankly obese women and long-term outcomes.

Do severe obese patients with stress urinary incontinence benefit from transobturator tape procedure? 3-year surgical outcome

INTRODUCTION

We evaluate the impact of severe obesity on surgical outcomes of the transobturator tape (TOT) procedure in patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

METHODS

In total, 32 women with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] >35 kg/m(2)) were included in the study. All patients were preoperatively evaluated with history, pelvic examination, ultrasonography, and cough stress test. All patients completed the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short form (ICIQ-SF) preoperatively and at the postoperative follow-up. Cure of incontinence was defined as being completely dry after surgery. Cure was assessed subjectively and objectively. Subjective improvement defined as an International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short form (ICIQ-SF) score ≤12 and satisfaction with surgery. Failure was defined as having no change or worsening of urinary incontinence after surgery. Postoperative patient satisfaction was assessed using a visual analog scale.

RESULTS

The mean follow-up time and mean BMI were 40.9 ± 20.9 months and 38 ± 3 kg/m(2), respectively. According to preoperative ICIQ-SF questionnaire scores, 20 patients (62.5%) had severe and 12 patients (37.5 %) had very severe urinary incontinence symptoms. No patient had slight or moderate symptoms. None of the patients experienced worsening symptoms after surgery. Objective cure, subjective cure, subjective improvement and patient satisfaction rates were 81.2%, 46.8%, 37.5%, and 84.3% respectively. Our overall complication rate was 9.3%. None of the patients experienced intraoperative complications.

CONCLUSION

In experienced hands, TOT is an effective and safe procedure to treat SUI, with minimal complications in severe obese women.

Incontinence surgery in obese women: comparative analysis of short- and long-term outcomes with a transobturator sling

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS

Midurethral slings (MUS) are still discussed in complex incontinence situations, such as obesity, lacking sustained efficacy validation in this particular sub-population. We hypothesized that the outcomes of a transobturator MUS, such as TVT-O, do not differ according to body mass index (BMI) over a 4-year period.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 281 women who underwent TVT-O at our institution, between 2004 and 2012. Patients were stratified into obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2)) or non-obese (BMI < 30 kg/m(2)). We compared preoperative and postoperative parameters, including objective cure (negative stress test), complications, and quality of life scores. Data were collected at 0, 6, 12, 24, and 48 months. We used Fisher's exact test for categorical variables and Student's t test or the Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables.

RESULTS

Baseline characteristics of the obese (n = 122) and non-obese groups (n = 159) were similar. We found no significant differences between groups in terms of objective cure rates at all follow-up evaluations, with 95.8 % and 95 % at 48 months in the non-obese and obese groups respectively. There were no significant differences in the cumulative complication rates of both groups. Quality of life assessment also showed no significant differences between groups at all follow-up visits. At 48 months our follow-up rate was 59 % (n = 96) and 60.4 % (n = 72) in the non-obese and obese group respectively (p = 0.9).

CONCLUSIONS

The TVT-O procedure is effective and safe in the long term for stress incontinence treatment, regardless of BMI.

Effectiveness of Transobturator Tape Procedure in Obese and Severely Obese Women: 3-Year Follow-up

OBJECTIVE

To assess the efficacy and safety of transobturator tape (TOT) for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in severely obese and obese women.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the women who underwent a TOT procedure at 2 institutions between March 2005 and March 2013. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to the World Health Organization body mass index (BMI) values: normal weight group (BMI <25 kg/m(2); group 1), obese group (BMI = 30-34 kg/m(2); group 2), and severely obese group (BMI ≥35 kg/m(2); group 3). Overweight women (BMI = 25-29 kg/m(2)) were omitted. Patients filled in the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF) preoperatively and at the postoperative follow-up visits. The severity of urinary incontinence was classified by ICIQ-SF: slight (1-5), moderate (6-12), severe (13-18), and very severe (19-21). Patient satisfaction was assessed using a visual analog scale. Subjective improvement was defined as an ICIQ-SF score ≤12 and satisfaction with surgery (visual analog scale score ≥80).

RESULTS

A total 470 women met the requirements for inclusion. There were 153 women in group 1, 72 women in group 2, and 32 women in group 3. Mean follow-up period was at least 12 months in all the groups. The difference between the groups according to mean operative time was significant (P <.001). The objective cure, subjective success (cured and improved), patient satisfaction rates, and complications were similar between the groups.

CONCLUSION

Obesity and severe obesity do not seem to be risk factors for the failure of TOT procedure. However, postoperative urgency urinary incontinence rate was higher in severely obese women, and more women showed improvement instead of cure among severely obese women.

The long-term influence of body mass index on the success rate of mid-urethral sling surgery among women with stress urinary incontinence or stress-predominant mixed incontinence: comparisons between retropubic and transobturator approaches

OBJECTIVES

Mid-urethral sling (MUS) surgery for the treatment of urinary incontinence has been widespread since the introduction of tension-free vaginal tape in the mid-1990s. The majority of studies with short-term follow-up <2 years found no differences in the surgical outcomes according to body mass index (BMI). However, considering the chronic influence of obesity on pelvic floor musculature, it is cautiously speculated that higher BMI could increase stress on pelvic floor and sub-urethral tape, possibly decreasing the long-term success rate in the obese population. We aimed to compare the long-term effects of BMI on the outcomes of MUS between women with retropubic and transobturator approaches.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis on 243 consecutive women who received MUS and were followed up for ≥36 months. The influence of BMI on the success rates was separately estimated and the factors for treatment failure were examined using logistic regression in either approach.

RESULTS

The mean follow-up was 58.4 months, and 30.5% were normal weight, 51.0% overweight, and 18.5% obese. Patients received either the retropubic (30.5%) or transobturator (69.5%) approach. The success rates (%) under the transobturator approach differed according to the BMI groups (94.3, 88.6, and 78.6, respectively; P = 0.037) while those under the retropubic approach were not different according to the BMI groups. However, in multivariate models, only the presence of preoperative mixed urinary incontinence (MUI) was proven to be the risk factor for treatment failure in the transobturator approach (OR 6.39, P = 0.003). The percent of subjects with MUI was higher in obese women than in non-obese women with the transobturator approach.

CONCLUSIONS

BMI was not independently associated with failures in either approach. Higher success rates in women with lower BMI in the transobturator approach were attributed to the lower percent of preoperative MUI in those with lower BMI.

TOT approach in stress urinary incontinence (SUI) - outcome in obese female

BACKGROUND

Only limited data are available on the outcome of tension-free obturator tape (TOT) procedures in overweight and obese women. We would like to verify the objective and subjective outcomes of TOT in women with a higher body mass index (BMI).

METHODS

We evaluated the records of 116 patients who had undergone TOT, stratifying by BMI into normal weight (n = 31), overweight (n = 56), and obese (n = 29) groups. We compared pre- and postoperative evaluations, including subjective and objective outcome of TOT, complications, and quality of life assessed by validated questionnaires (ICIQ-SF and KHQ).

RESULTS

The median follow-up was 21 months. There were no significant differences between different groups in terms of objective cure rate and subjective success, quality of life scores and postoperative complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data demonstrate that TOT procedure is safe and effective. BMI did not influence the outcome of TOT procedures at a median of 21 months after surgery and represents no contraindication for continence surgery. The success of the outcome of TOT procedure in females and the occurrence of complications are not negatively affected by obesity.