A randomized controlled trial of pubovaginal sling versus vaginal wall sling for stress urinary incontinence. Cadaveric fascia lata versus intravaginal slingplasty for the pubovaginal sling: surgical outcome, overall success and patient satisfaction rates. Autologous fascial sling vs polypropylene tape at short-term followup: a prospective randomized study. Comparative results of two techniques to treat stress urinary incontinence: synthetic transobturator and aponeurotic slings. Comparative study of autologous pubovaginal sling and synthetic transobturator (TOT) SAFYRE sling in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence. Pubovaginal sling versus transurethral Macroplastique for stress urinary incontinence and intrinsic sphincter deficiency: a prospective randomised controlled trial. A prospective randomized study comparing modified Burch retropubic urethropexy and suburethral sling for treatment of genuine stress incontinence with low-pressure urethra. Stress incontinence surgery for patients presenting with mixed incontinence and a normal cystometrogram. [Comparative study of tension-free vaginal tape and fascia lata for stress urinary incontinence]. Efficacy, safety and hospital costs of tension-free vaginal tape and pubovaginal sling in the surgical treatment of stress incontinence. Comparison of pubovaginal sling and burch colposuspension procedures in type I/II genuine stress incontinence. Use of slings made of indigenous and allogenic material (Goretex) in type III urinary incontinence and comparison between them. The relationships among measures of incontinence severity in women undergoing surgery for stress urinary incontinence. Comparison of Burch and lyodura sling procedures for repair of unsuccessful incontinence surgery. A urodynamic evaluation of the effects of abdominal urethrocystopexy and vaginal sling urethroplasty in women with stress incontinence. Comparison of the efficacy of Burch colposuspension, pubovaginal sling, and tension-free vaginal tape for stress urinary incontinence. A randomised controlled trial comparing two autologous fascial sling techniques for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women: short, medium and long-term follow-up. Tension-free vaginal tape and autologous rectus fascia pubovaginal sling for the treatment of urinary stress incontinence: a medium-term follow-up.
To compare the results of Pubovaginal sling and Vaginal wall sling for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in females.
                Between February 2001 and December 2001, a randomized controlled trial was done to compare safety and efficacy of pubovaginal sling versus vaginal wall sling in the management of women with urinary incontinence. Fifteen women 42-68 years old (mean age 51.3 years) were treated with fascial sling (group A) and 11 women 45-60 years old (mean age 50.4 years) with vaginal wall sling (group B). Twenty-one patients had type II SUI and 5 patients had type III SUI (ISD); none had pre-operative detrusor instability. Measures of outcome included efficacy based on SEAPI-QMN, post-operative presence of stress or urge incontinence, frequency of complications, operative time, post-operative pain, length of hospitalization, length of clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) time and mean global evaluation.
                All patients were followed for at least 3 months after surgery (median 7 months). A total of 20 and 6 women received spinal and general anesthesia, respectively. SEAPI-QMN decreased from a median of 6.3 to 0.8 for group A and from 6.1 to 0.9 for group B. No patient in either group had persistent stress incontinence. Urge incontinence was present in 2 of group A patients and 1 of group B patients. No serious post-operative complications were encountered in both groups. Post-operative pain and operative times for group B patients were significantly lower than for group A patients. Length of hospitalization, length of CIC time and mean global evaluation were not significantly different between the two groups.
                In the short-term, both pubovaginal sling and vaginal wall slings were effective in the treatment of women with SUI. However, the use of vaginal wall sling resulted in significantly shorter operative times and lower post-operative pain compared with pubovaginal sling. Therefore, the vaginal wall sling should be the prefered treatment for SUI. A wide variety of surgical procedures has been used to treat female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The purpose of this study was to compare cadaveric fascia lata (CFL) sling with intravaginal slingplasty (IVS) in the surgical treatment of SUI.
                One hundred and thirty-nine women with SUI were randomly assigned to either CFL sling (n = 67) or IVS (n = 72). Concomitant urinary urge incontinence was present in 49 patients (73%) in the CFL sling and 44 patients (61%) in the IVS group. Daily mean pad usage was 4.1 +/- 3.5 in the CFL sling and 2.9 +/- 1.7 in the IVS group. The objective cure rate was evaluated by the pad test, and patient satisfaction rate was assessed by a subjective questionnaire.
                The surgical results of both procedures with a follow-up 12 months were documented. The overall success rate was 79% in the CFL sling and 70.8% in the IVS (p = 0.261). In contrast patient satisfaction rates were 82 and 87.5%, respectively (p = 0.210). Comparison of the CFL sling with IVS showed persistent urinary urge incontinence in 67 and 25% (p = 0.0001) and de novo urinary urge incontinence in 22 and 6.9%, respectively (p = 0.009). The groups did not differ significantly with respect to intraoperative and postoperative complications.
                There is no statistical difference in the overall success, satisfaction and complication rates in either group. In our series, both procedures were found to be effective, durable and significantly improved quality of life in patients with SUI but long-term results are awaited.
                (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel. The incidence of urinary incontinence in women of childbearing age is about 30%. Around half have stress incontinence. Many treatment modalities have been elucidated to treat stress incontinence, and among the most popular are rectus fascia sling and tension-free vaginal tape (TVT). The introduction of TVT to the urological armamentarium put a multiplicity of synthetic materials into use in the correction of stress urinary incontinence. A comparison of the impact of these 2 commonly used techniques is needed.
                A total of 53 female patients older than 21 years (mean age 45.09) were randomized, using closed envelopes, to undergo TVT or rectus fascia sling. Randomization was performed after patients received spinal anesthesia. One surgeon performed the 2 types of treatment. Associated grade 2 cystocele was simultaneously corrected. Patients with bladder or urethral pathology, as well as those with cystocele greater than grade 2, were excluded from analysis.
                All 53 patients completed 6 months of followup and all had stress urinary incontinence. There were 15 patients who underwent sling surgery and 17 who underwent TVT who had concomitant grade 1 or 2 cystocele. No statistically significant difference was found between the 2 groups at baseline. Cure was accomplished in 23 of 25 (92%) with sling and in 26 of 28 (92.9%) with TVT at first followup visit (1 week). There were 7 patients who needed at least 1 extra week of catheterization in the sling group and 3 in the TVT group. No significant difference was detected in terms of post-void residual urine, symptom score, and filling and voiding parameters. At 6 months 1 patient had de novo detrusor overactivity and 7 had wound pain. Compared to those with TVT, 2 cases of sling were considered treatment failures, none had de novo overactivity and 2 had wound pain. None of the patients had symptoms suggestive of urethral erosion.
                Rectus fascia sling and TVT seem to be equally effective regarding primary outcome measure (ie cure of stress incontinence). Symptom score related to incontinence surgery as well as simultaneous correction of cystocele are comparable in the 2 groups. Fascial sling is a longer treatment process yet it is more economical. Longer followup is vital before rigorous conclusions can be drawn. This study aims to analyze comparatively the efficacy and safety of synthetic transobturatory and aponeurotic retropubic slings, in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in women.
                Patients were separated in a randomized way. Twenty-one patients were submitted to the operatory correction by the transobturatory sling technique, whereas 20 patients were operated by the retropubic sling technique. All patients were submitted to complete physical exam and urodynamic test. The "T" test and the Mann-Whitney U test were applied to establish comparisons between the two groups. Patients were followed-up for 12 months.
                Healing rate was 90.5% (19/21) and 95% (19/20), respectively after 12 months. The transobturatory group presented lesser complications rate than the retropubic group.
                The transobturatory and the aponeurotic slings techniques were equally effective for the treatment of SUI. The transobturatory sling has shown fewer complications and lesser surgical time than the aponeurotic sling technique. To compare short-term results of autologous pubovaginal sling and synthetic transobturator (TOT) SAFYRE sling in the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI).
                Twenty women referred for surgical treatment of SUI were assigned randomly to autologous pubovaginal sling or synthetic TOT sling. Inclusion criteria were primary treatment of SUI and urodynamic study showing SUI without detrusor overactivity. Pre- and postoperative quantification of the severity of incontinence was done by pad test and a validated questionnaire (King's Health Questionnaire).
                There were no differences in patients' mean age, parity, body mass index, rate of postmenopausal state, pelvic floor defects and mean Valsalva leak point pressure in the preoperative urodynamic study. Mean operating time (21.1 +/- 3.8 vs. 69.5 +/- 23.7 min; P < 0.001) and hospital stay (28.8 +/- 8.4 vs. 44.4 +/- 5.8 h; P < 0.001) was shorter in the TOT than the autologous group. The postoperative pad test (39.4 +/- 12.5 vs. 8.4 +/- 5.2 g; P = 0.01) and the absent in the improvement in the quality of life were significantly higher in the TOT group.
                Our initial results suggest that the synthetic TOT technique had worse effectiveness for treating female SUI compared to autologous pubovaginal sling. To compare the pubovaginal sling and transurethral Macroplastique in the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD).
                A prospective randomised controlled trial comparing two surgical treatments for SUI and ISD.
                Tertiary referral urogynaecology unit in Australia.
                Women with SUI and ISD who were suitable for either surgical technique.
                Forty-five women with SUI and ISD were randomly allocated the pubovaginal sling (n = 22) or transurethral Macroplastique (n = 23). Subjective and objective success rates, patient satisfaction and cost measurements at six months and one year following surgery were the primary outcome measures. A telephone questionnaire survey was performed at a mean follow up period of 62 months (43-71).
                Comparison of success rates, complications and costs.
                The symptomatic and patient satisfaction success rates were similar following the sling and Macroplastique with the objective success rate being significantly greater (P < 0.001) following the sling (81%vs 9%). Macroplastique had significantly lower morbidity but was more expensive than the sling (P < 0.001). Response rate at 62 months follow up was 60% in both groups with the sling group reporting better continence success (69%vs 21%) and satisfaction rates (69%vs 29%, P = 0.057).
                The pubovaginal sling was more effective and economical than transurethral Macroplastique for the treatment of SUI and ISD. However, transurethral Macroplastique remains an appropriate treatment in selected cases of SUI and ISD. The aim of this study was to compare a modified Burch procedure with a suburethral sling for the treatment of stress incontinence complicated by a low-pressure urethra.
                Thirty-six women with stress incontinence, low-pressure urethra, and urethral hypermobility (straining cotton swab angle >/=30 degrees ) were randomly assigned to undergo either a modified Burch procedure (n = 19) or a suburethral sling (n = 17). Objective and subjective cure rates at 3 months after the operation were the primary outcome measures. Comparisons of group means were performed with the Student t test for independent groups, and proportions were compared with the Fisher exact test.
                After the operation the 2 groups had statistically similar cure rates and voiding function. Urethral closure pressure, pressure transmission ratios, and maximum detrusor pressure during voiding were significantly higher in the sling group.
                At 3 months there were no clinically significant differences between the groups treated with suburethral sling and modified Burch procedures. To evaluate the outcome of surgery for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in patients presenting with a combination of stress and sensory urge UI.
                The study comprised 75 women presenting with mixed incontinence; the most important inclusion criterion was a negative cystometrogram for detrusor overactivity. Based on random selection, a third of the patients received a 6-month course of anticholinergic treatment (group 1) and 50 (group 2) had surgery for SUI. The surgical procedure depended on the Valsalva leak-point pressure (VLPP); those with a VLPP of > or = 90 cmH2O underwent Burch retropubic bladder neck suspension (group 2a, 24 patients) while 26 (group 2b) with a VLPP of < 90 cmH2O had pubovaginal sling (PVS) surgery. A further group of 20 patients with pure SUI (no urge UI) underwent surgery (PVS in 12 and Burch in eight) as a control group (group 3). After at least 6 months of follow-up (mean 9.3, sd 1.7), 68 patients were evaluable; they were assessed subjectively and objectively for dryness, and by a urodynamic evaluation and quantitative assessment using the SEAPI scoring system.
                In group 1 none of the patients became completely dry; there was persistent stress with and without urge UI in nine (43%) and 12 (57%) of the available 21 patients, respectively. Only three of those who had persistent SUI with no urge in the whole study group were satisfied and chose to continue anticholinergic therapy despite SUI. In this group the mean (sd) improvement in the subjective and objective SEAPI score was 3.4 (1.0) and 2.3 (3.8), respectively. In group 2a, 20 of the available 23 patients (87%) became completely dry (both stress and urge continent). The mean improvement in the SEAPI scores was 7.8 (0.9) and 7.8 (1.3), respectively. In group 2b, 20 of the 24 patients (83%) became completely dry, with mean improvements in SEAPI scores of 8.2 (0.4) and 7.9 (0.3), respectively. The improvement was statistically significant after surgery, vs anticholinergic therapy, for all variables (P < 0.05). The incidence of persistent urge UI was highest in group 1 (43%), being 13% in group 2 (13% and 12% in 2a and b, respectively). In group 3 there was de novo urge UI in four of the 20 patients, and not significantly different from that in group 2.
                Most patients with mixed stress and urge UI and a normal cystometrogram were cured of both symptoms by surgery. The incidence of residual urge in such patients was no higher than that of de novo urge after surgery in patients with genuine SUI. To compare the efficacy of surgically managing stress urinary incontinence (SUI) with tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) and autologous fascia lata pubovaginal sling (Lata).
                Sixty-seven patients suffering from SUI entered this prospective study. The patients were divided into two groups randomly, 48 in TVT group and 19 in Lata group. The average follow-up time post-operation was 20 months in TVT group and 37 months in Lata group.
                The operating time was (27 +/- 5) min in TVT and (125 +/- 13) min in Lata. The volume of blood loss during surgery was: (27 +/- 6) ml in TVT and (67 +/- 11) ml in Lata. The post-operative recovery period in the hospital was: TVT, 1.8 days and Lata, 7.2 days. The differences between the two groups for these three parameters were statistically significant (P < 0.01). The 3-month cure rate post-operations was 94% (45/48) for TVT and 95% (18/19) for Lata. The surgical complications included 1 case of vesical perforation and 2 cases of overactive bladder in TVT group.
                TVT and Lata are both effective and safe surgical treatments for stress urinary incontinence. TVT has the benefits of being minimally invasive with a shorter operating time and a quicker recovery for the patients. A disadvantage is that the tape used in TVT is expensive, making the operation rather costly. Lata on the other hand is cheaper and may result in fewer complications, but the operation is not as easy for the patient. The efficacy, safety and hospital costs of the tension-free vaginal tape procedure were compared with the pubovaginal sling operation.
                A total of 60 women urodynamically diagnosed as having stress or mixed urinary incontinence were operated on using either the tension-free vaginal tape or pubovaginal sling operation in a prospective manner. Preoperative characteristics of the women were not significantly different for the groups. The women were followed for up to 24 months.
                In the tension-free vaginal tape group, the operation time was shorter, numbers of analgesics postoperatively required were less and hospital charges were less expensive compared to those in the pubovaginal sling operation (P < 0.01). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed a marginal significant difference (P = 0.059) in the objective cumulative cure rates at 24 months between the groups receiving the former (70.3%) and latter (48.3%) procedures. Subjective cure rates were not significantly different (P = 0.101). In both groups, an improvement in quality of life was significant and surgical complications were identical. De novo urge incontinence developed in 6% and 10% in the former and latter, respectively.
                The tension-free tape was significantly superior to the pubovaginal sling in terms of operation time, postoperative pain, and hospital charges, but not in cure rates. A longer follow up with a larger sample size is necessary to draw definite conclusions. We compared morbidity and success rate of pubovaginal sling with Burch colposuspension operations in Type I/type II genuine stress urinary incontinence (GSI). The study included patients who had no preoperative detrusor instability (DI), no recurrent GSI, no severe pelvic prolapsus and whose Valsalva leak point pressure (VLPP) values were higher than 90 cm water. Twenty three of free-rectus fascial sling and 23 of Burch colposuspension operations were performed randomly on the patients by a single surgeon. There was no statistical difference between patients in terms of age, BMI, parity, number of daily pads used and preoperative bladder neck mobility. Operation time, change in hematocrit, spontaneous voiding time, length of hospitalization and urinary infection were not different in 2 procedures. 17 patients from both groups could be compared after one year. The bladder neck mobility of both groups were similar. One surgical failure, 1 DI, 1 severe cystocele and 1 enterocele were found in the Burch group while only 1 DI was found in the pubovaginal sling group. When pubovaginal sling operation was performed as the primary surgery on the patients with type I/II GSI, the morbidity, complications and 1 year success rate are the same as Burch procedure. To evaluate the use of Goretex pubovaginal sling and compare the results with a typical indigenous material graft made of rectal fascia.
                We have prospectively evaluated 48 consecutive patients in a randomized fashion in whom a sling procedure was performed to treat their type III incontinence. Sixteen women had a vesicourethral suspension (VUS) by a Goretex sling and another group of 32 patients, comparable in age range and medium age with the previous group, had a similar VUS by a sling from the rectus abdominis fascia. Both groups were evaluated urodynamically 6 and 30 months later.
                In the first group, cure of incontinence was observed in 87.5% and in the remaining patients it was significantly improved. In 2 patients there was an erosion of the urethra and the Goretex sling had to be removed 3.5 years later. Three other women remained dry but complained of occasional irritative symptoms. In the remaining 11 there was no erosion and the excellent postoperative result was maintained. In the group with fascial slings there was no erosion observed and in general they had less irritative symptoms. Cure or improvement of incontinence was comparable with the first group when studied 6 months after surgery, but there was a significant difference in the 30 months postoperative evaluation.
                Use of a Goretex sling provides better long-term results even though it is associated with somewhat increased morbidity. We assessed the relationships among severity measures of urinary incontinence in women with stress predominant symptoms enrolled in a randomized clinical trial comparing 2 surgical techniques (Burch colposuspension vs pubovaginal sling) for stress urinary incontinence.
                A total of 655 women underwent a standardized preoperative assessment that included the Medical, Epidemiological and Social Aspects of Aging questionnaire, Urogenital Distress Inventory, Incontinence Impact Questionnaire, 3-day voiding diary, 24-hour pad test, a supine empty bladder stress test and Valsalva leak point pressure measurements. Correlations were estimated using Spearman correlation coefficients and 95% confidence intervals. T tests at alpha=0.05 were conducted to compare the distributions of the continuous severity measure between patients with positive and negative supine empty bladder stress test.
                Baseline mean scores on Medical, Epidemiological and Social Aspects of Aging, Urogenital Distress Inventory and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire were 25.8, 151 and 171, respectively. Mean incontinence episode frequency and pad weight were 3.2 per day and 43.5 gm, respectively. Supine empty bladder stress test was positive in 218 patients, and 428 patients had valid Valsalva leak point pressure measurements with a mean Valsalva leak point pressure of 80 cm H(2)O. Weak to moderate correlations were observed between Medical, Epidemiological and Social Aspects of Aging, incontinence episode frequency, pad weight, Incontinence Impact Questionnaire and Urogenital Distress Inventory. On the other hand, Valsalva leak point pressure correlated poorly with all variables measured. The sensitivity and specificity of the supine empty bladder stress test to predict intrinsic sphincter dysfunction were 49% and 60%, respectively.
                Urinary incontinence severity measures correlate moderately with each other at best. While Medical, Epidemiological and Social Aspects of Aging demonstrated stronger correlations with the other measures of severity and quality of life, Valsalva leak point pressure did not. Supine empty bladder stress test did not demonstrate a clinically significant association among severity measures. To assess the effectiveness and late postoperative morbidity of the Burch procedure and the sling procedure for the treatment of recurrent urinary stress incontinence after vaginal hysterectomy and anterior repair.
                Clinical, urodynamic, and sonographic examinations were done on 77 women suffering with recurrent urinary stress incontinence. The women were randomized to two groups, modified Burch colposuspension and lyophilized dura mater sling surgery; 72 women were reexamined 32-48 months after these procedures.
                The cure rate at 32-48 months' follow-up was 86% for the Burch procedure and 92% for the sling. Women who had had the sling procedure demonstrated a clear decrease in maximal bladder capacity, from 330 to 240 mL (P < .05). In both groups, stress profiles demonstrated a shift of maximal pressure point toward the proximal urethra and a significant improvement in pressure transmission (P < .05). The post-operative patients who had persistent incontinence were found to have insufficient elevation of the bladder neck (less than 10 mm). The uroflow examination showed an increase of urination time in both groups. The incidence of bladder problems was 10% with the Burch procedure and 29% with the sling procedure; however, 13% of the Burch group developed rectoceles.
                Both procedures offer a high rate of success. We believe that the sling surgery should be used only in certain special cases because of its higher rate of complications, but that posterior vaginal repair should be considered after modified Burch colposuspension because of the possibility of rectocele and enterocele. nan To compare the cure rate and confirm the clinical efficacy of the 3 most frequently performed surgical procedures for stress urinary incontinence (SUI).
                Between January 2001 and May 2003, 92 women with SUI were randomly assigned to undergo the Burch colposuspension (n=33), pubovaginal sling (n=28), or tension-free vaginal tape (n=31) at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yonsei Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Patient characteristics, urodynamic study results, cure rates at 3, 6, and 12 months, and complication rates were compared using the chi2 test.
                There were no statistically significant differences in the cure rates initially, but after 12 months the cure rate of the pubovaginal sling procedure was found to be significantly higher than those of the tension-free vaginal tape or Burch colposuspension procedures.
                The cure rate of the pubovaginal sling procedure was significantly higher after 1 year, but no difference in efficacy was observed between the 2 other procedures. A randomized prospective study of a larger population should be conducted. This randomised control trial compares full-length autologous slings (Group A: 81 women) with a modified "sling-on-a-string" (Group B: 84 women) technique for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Primary outcomes are quality of life (QoL) scores; Group A/Group B. The IIQ-7 scores decrease from 1.91/1.85 at baseline to 0.65/0.72 at 12 months and 0.85/0.92 at +5 years. The UDI-6 scores decrease from 1.85/1.61 at baseline to 0.66/0.62 at 12 months and 1.22/1.08 at +5 years. The incidence of SUI is 13% at 3 months but averages 53% at +5 years. Both techniques offer similar improvements. The shorter sling is quicker, less painful and with less hospital readmissions. The 'sling-on-a-string' technique is as effective as the standard technique with better short-term sequelae. The incidence of SUI post-autologous slings rises over the long term. To compare two different procedures, tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) and autologous rectus fascia sling, according to their medium-term subjective and objective outcomes and satisfaction rates in the treatment of urinary stress incontinence in women.
                One hundred women with type II urinary stress incontinence were randomized to be treated with either TVT or autologous rectus fascia sling. They were evaluated by means of a cough-induced stress test, 1-hour pad test, Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ), and urodynamic study. They were reevaluated postoperatively every 6 months, and the collected data of more than 1 year's follow-up were compared with preoperative assessments.
                All patients completed the full 6-month postoperative assessment. However, of the 100 patients, only 61 (25 in the TVT and 36 in the sling group) were followed for more than 1 year. Mean follow-up time was 38.5 and 40 months in the TVT and sling group, respectively. Objective cure was achieved in 22 (88%) of the TVT group and in 30 (83%) of the sling group (p = 0.78) using a cough-induced stress test, and in 76 and 75% of the women in the TVT versus sling group (p = 0.83), respectively, using a 1-hour pad test. Postoperative mean IIQ scores were 44.3 (range 35.5-61.5) and 48.5 (range 38.5-69.7) in the TVT versus sling group (p = 0.46). Five (20%) and 11 (30%) of the TVT and sling group, respectively, reported some changes in the voiding pattern or posture at more than 1 year's follow-up.
                There is no significant difference between the TVT and autologous rectus fascia sling procedures in the treatment of urinary stress incontinence at medium-term follow-up. There were changes in the voiding pattern for patients in both groups at more than 1 year postoperatively, which were not evident at early follow-up.
                (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel
Traditional slings seem to be as effective as minimally invasive slings, but had higher rates of adverse effects. This should be interpreted with some caution however, as the quality of evidence for the studies was variable, follow-up short and populations small, particularly for identifying complication rates. Tradional sling procedures appeared to confer a similar cure rate in comparison to open retropubic colposuspension, but the long term adverse event profile is still unclear. Reliable evidence to clarify whether or not traditional suburethral slings may be better or worse than other surgical or conservative management options is lacking.