Long-Term Results after Suprapubic ARC Procedure for the Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Retrospective Data Analysis

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term safety and efficacy of the suprapubic arc (SPARC) procedure for the surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). <b><i>Materials and Methods:</i></b> 139 female patients treated by SPARC were included in this retrospective analysis, whereby 126 patients were available for follow-up after 1 year, 70 after 6 years, and 41 after 9 years. The cough test, pad test, uroflowmetry, and post-void residual volume measurements were performed. Severity of bother (visual analogous scale [VAS] 0–10), continence, and the satisfaction rate were assessed. Objective cure was defined as a negative cough test and pad weight ≤1 g, subjective cure as no urine loss during daily activities and no usage of pads. The VAS, pad weight, number of pads per day, and maximal flow rate were compared preoperatively and postoperatively. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Objective cure rates at 1, 6, and 9 years were 78.6, 71.4, and 70.7% and subjective cure rates were 72.2, 55.7, and 65.8%, respectively. The VAS, pad weight, number of pads, and maximal flow rate decreased significantly. Study limitations include a relatively small sample size and the retrospective fashion of the analysis. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> In the long-term context, SPARC showed to represent an efficient and safe procedure for treatment of female SUI.

Medium-term safety outcomes in patients undergoing tension free vaginal tape obturator for stress urinary incontinence in Murcia, Spain. Historical cohort

Objective: Describe the medium-term safety of the tension free vaginal tape obturator (TVT-O) procedure in terms of complications, cure and changes in quality of life (QoL) after the surgery. Materials and methods: Descriptive historical cohort that included women over 18 years of age who underwent TVT-O due to objectively proven stress urinary incontinence, urethral hypermobility or mixed urinary incontinence in which the stress component predominated, confirmed on urodynamic testing between July 2013-April 2017, in a reference hospital located in the city of Murcia Spain. Women with previous anti-incontinence surgery, concomitant vaginal surgery and planning pregnancy were excluded. Follow-up was determined for each patient based on the time elapsed between surgery and the time when the research protocol was applied. Complications were stratified according to the modified Clavien-Dindo classification; also we evaluated subjective cure rate, quality of life using the ICIQ-SF score, before and after surgery. Results: The mean age was 52.6 (SD± 10.5) years and 80.1% of patients were at least overweight. The incidence of complications at 12 months was: 8.3% (12/144). We did not detect complications after this period in the followed patients at 24, 36 and 48 months. The subjective cure determined at 12, 24, 36 and 48 months was 62.5% (90/144), 59.09% (55/88), 50.81% (31/61) and 50% (7/14), respectively. There was a significant improvement in quality of life, as determined by the ICQ-SF mean score before and after surgery (13.76[6,34] vs 3.84[5.76]; p<0.05). Conclusions: The TVT-O surgery is a safe therapy associated with a low complication incidence at 12 months, an acceptable subjective cure rate in stress urinary incontinence, and quality-of-life improvement. Classifications of complications related to the insertion of the prosthesis and of those inherent to surgery, such as urinary tract infection, are required.

Treatment of female stress urinary incontinence with transobturator suburetral band compared with single incision sling: 7-year follow-up

Objetives: Compare the efficacy and post-surgical complications of single-incision sling (SIS) and transobturator band (TO) for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) over 7 years’ follow up. Methods: This is a prospective observational study that included 289 women with SUI who went under surgical treatment, either TO (109) or SIS (180). Patients were evaluated pre- and postoperatively through anamnesis, physical examination and ultrasound. Epidemiological information, complications and surgical time were recorded. The primary outcomes were total continence, objective and subjective cure rates at 7-year follow-up. Statistics: T-Student or U-Mann-Whitney for quantitative variables, Chi-Square for qualitative variables. Results: The groups were similar regarding demographic and medical history parameters, except for age and arterial hypertension, which were higher in TO group, and that SIS patients were more physically active tan TO patients. The TO band compared to SIS associated with increased frequency repair of pelvic organ prolapse. Depending on the type of urinary incontinence, pure SUI was more frequent in SIS and mixed in TO. The duration of the surgery was shorter with SIS. During the 7-year follow up there were no differences in the objective cure, subjective cure and complication rates. Conclusion: After 7-years follow-up, no significant differences were found with regard to subjective and objective outcomes, and post-surgery complication rates between the single incisión sling and the transobturator band.

Mid- to Long-Term Magnetic Resonance Imaging Results of Two Prolapse Surgeries for Apical Defect: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been considered another tool for use during the pre- and postoperative periods of the management of pelvic-organ prolapse (POP). However, there is little consensus regarding its practical use for POP and the association between MRI lines of reference and physical examination. We aimed to evaluate the mid- to long-term results of two surgical techniques for apical prolapse. Methods In total, 40 women with apical POP randomized from 2014 to 2016 underwent abdominal sacrocolpopexy (ASC group; n = 20) or bilateral vaginal sacrospinous fixation with an anterior mesh (VSF-AM group; n = 20). A physical examination using the POP Quantification System (POP-Q) for staging (objective cure) and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Vaginal Symptoms (ICIQ-VS: subjective cure), were applied and analyzed before and one year after surgery respectively. All MRI variables (pubococcigeous line [PCL], bladder base [BB], anorectal junction [ARJ], and the estimated levator ani subtended volume [eLASV]) were investigated one year after surgery. Significance was established at p < 0.05. Results After a mean 27-month follow-up, according to the MRI criteria, 60% of the women were cured in the VSF-AM group versus 45% in ASC group (p = 0.52). The POP-Q and objective cure rates by MRI were correlated in the anterior vaginal wall (p = 0.007), but no correlation was found with the subjective cure. The eLASV was larger among the patients with surgical failure, and a cutoff of ≥ 33.5 mm3 was associated with postoperative failure (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [ROC]: 0.813; p = 0.002). Conclusion Both surgeries for prolapse were similar regarding the objective variables (POP-Q measurements and MRI cure rates). Larger eLASV areas were associated with surgical failure.

Long term outcomes of Burch colposuspension and transobturator tape and single incision needleless (DynaMesh ® - SIS minor) for the surgical treatment of female stress urinary incontinence patients who underwent combined pelvic reconstructive surgery or hysterectomy

Background: Women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) often require combined pelvic reconstructive surgeries because of shared risk factors of pelvic organ prolapse The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacies of Burch colposuspension, the transobturator tape (TOT), and single-incision needleless (DynaMesh®- SIS minor) procedures in patients with SUI who also underwent combined pelvic reconstructive surgery or hysterectomy. Methods: We performed this prospective cohort study that comprising 142 patients who either underwent Burch colposuspension (n:43), TOT(n:40), or SIS(n:39) procedures along with pelvic reconstructive surgery or hysterectomy between January 2010 and July 2018. During the clinical follow-up, we analyzed the objective and subjective cure rates, improvement rates, along with failure and surgical success rates of SUI surgery. We assessed quality of life and symptom severity by Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7), Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6), Sandvik Severity Index (SSI), Surgical Satisfaction Questionnaire (SSQ-8), Overactive Bladder Questionnaire V8 (OAB-V8), and Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) scale scores. The primary outcome was surgical success, which was established when there was an improvement in patients or when the patients achieved objective or subjective cure, whereas secondary outcomes included intraoperative bladder injury, sling extrusion, de novo urgency, voiding dysfunction, length of hospital stay, and patient-reported outcomes in the quality of life questionnaires. Results: Surgical success rates were higher in the Burch group than the SIS group and also higher in the TOT group than in the SIS group (88.4% vs 61.5% and 87.5% vs 61.5% respectively, p=0.003) The complaints of urinary incontinence were higher and quality of life was lower in the SIS group than in the Burch group. In terms of IIQ-7, UDI-6, OAB-V8, SSI, and SSQ-8 scores, no difference was observed between Burch and TOT groups, and TOT and SIS groups.Conclusions: Both Burch and TOT are safe and effective procedures in patients with SUI who require additional pelvic surgeries. Although the surgical outcomes of SIS procedure in patients with SUI who underwent concomitant pelvic surgeries in our study were not promising, further randomized studies are needed to clarify these observations due to unclear data.

Long term outcomes of Burch colposuspension and transobturator tape and single incision needleless (DynaMesh ® - SIS minor) for the surgical treatment of female stress urinary incontinence patients who underwent combined pelvic reconstructive surgery or hysterectomy

Background : Women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) often require combined pelvic reconstructive surgeries because of shared risk factors of pelvic relaxation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacies of Burch colposuspension, the transobturator tape (TOT), and single-incision needleless (DynaMesh®- SIS minor) procedures in patients with SUI who also underwent combined pelvic reconstructive surgery or hysterectomy. Methods: We carried out this prospective cohort study that comprising 142 patients who either underwent Burch colposuspension (n:43), TOT(n:40), or SIS(n:39) procedures along with pelvic reconstructive surgery or hysterectomy between January 2010 and July 2018. During the clinical follow-up, we analyzed the objective and subjective cure rates, improvement rates, along with failure and surgical success rates of SUI surgery. We assessed quality of life and symptom severity by Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7), Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6), Sandvik Severity Index (SSI), Surgical Satisfaction Questionnaire (SSQ-8), Overactive Bladder Questionnaire V8 (OAB-V8), and Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) scale scores. The primary outcome was surgical success, which was established when there was an improvement in patients or when the patients achieved objective or subjective cure, whereas secondary outcomes included intraoperative bladder injury, sling extrusion, de novo urgency, voiding dysfunction, length of hospital stay, and patient-reported outcomes in the quality of life questionnaires. Results: Surgical success rates were higher in Burch group than SIS group and also higher in TOT group than in SIS group (88.4% vs 61.5% and 87.5% vs 61.5% respectively, p=0.003) The complaints of urinary incontinence were higher and quality of life was lower in the SIS group than in the Burch group. In terms of IIQ-7, UDI-6, OAB-V8, SSI, and SSQ-8 scores, no difference was observed between Burch and TOT groups, and TOT and SIS groups. Conclusions: Both Burch and TOT are safe and effective procedures in patients with SUI who require additional pelvic surgeries. Although the surgical outcomes of SIS procedure in patients with SUI who underwent concomitant pelvic surgeries in our study were not promising, further randomized studies are needed to clarify these observations due to unclear data.

Does Previous Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery Influence the Effectiveness of the Sub-Urethral Sling Procedure

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) often co-occurs with stress urinary incontinence. There is no consensus on whether prolapse repair and anti-incontinence surgery should be performed concomitantly or separately, in a two-step manner. The present study evaluated the effects of the tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) procedure in patients who had previously undergone pelvic floor repair (study group), compared to women who underwent TVT insertion only (control group). The study group comprised 84 patients who underwent the TVT procedure but had previously also undergone surgical POP repair. The control group consisted of 250 women in whom the TVT was inserted. The primary objective was to compare the objective cure rate and the secondary objective was to compare the subjective cure rate in both groups. Negative pad test was achieved in over 91% in both groups. Objective and subjective cure rates were compared, as well as complication rates. Significant improvement was observed in the postoperative 1-h pad test in all patients. In all patients, we observed significant improvement in the quality of life, with no differences between the groups. No differences were found in the occurrence of postoperative urinary retention, urgency and frequency of daytime micturition, or vaginal erosion between the groups. The current results demonstrate that the two-step approach to pelvic reconstruction and anti-incontinence surgery is as safe and effective as primary TVT implantation.

Long term outcomes of Burch colposuspension and transobturator tape and single incision needleless (DynaMesh®- SIS minor) for the surgical treatment of female stress urinary incontinence patients who underwent combined pelvic reconstructive surgery or hysterectomy

Background Women with SUI often require combined pelvic reconstructive surgery because of sharing risk factors of pelvic relaxation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Burch colposuspension, the transobturator tape (TOT), and single incision needleless (DynaMesh®- SIS minor) procedures in patients with SUI who also underwent combined pelvic reconstructive surgery or hysterectomy. Methods We carried out a prospective cohort study that included 142 patients who underwent Burch colposuspension (n:43), TOT(n:40), or SIS(n:39) procedures combined pelvic reconstructive surgery or hysterectomy between January 2010 and July 2018. During clinical follow-up, objective cure, subjective cure, failure and surgical success rates were analyzed. Quality of life and symptom severity were assessed by IIQ-7, UDI-6, OAB-V8, SSI, SSQ-8 and PGI-I. Primary outcome was surgical success which was defined when any of the objective cure, subjective cure or improvement has achieved and secondary outcomes were; intraoperative bladder injury, sling extrusion, de novo urgency, voiding dysfunction, length of hospital stay, and outcomes of patient reported quality of life questionnaires. Results Surgical success rate were higher in Burch group than SIS group and also higher in TOT group than SIS group (88,4% vs 61,5% and 87,5% vs 61,5% respectively, p=0,003) Urinary incontinence complaints were higher and quality of life were lower in in SIS group when compared with Burch group. No difference was seen in between Burch and TOT groups, and TOT and SIS groups in terms of IIQ-7, UDI-6, OAB-V8, SSI, and SSQ-8 scores. Conclusions Both Burch and TOT were safe and effective procedures in patients with SUI who required additional pelvic surgeries. Although surgical outcome of SIS procedure in SUI patients that had concomitant pelvic surgeries in our study was not promising, the data are not clear and further randomized studies are needed to clarify these observations.

Uterus-preserving Laparoscopic Lateral Suspension with Mesh Operation in Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Initial Experience in a Single Tertiary Center with a Median 24-Month Follow-up

Introduction Laparoscopic lateral suspension with mesh (LLSM) is an effective and less invasive technique for the correction of pelvic organ prolapse. We discuss the primary objectives, subjective success rate and pelvic floor ultrasound outcomes of uterus-preserving LLSM operations. Patients and Methods Seventeen patients who underwent uterus-preserving LLSM (abdominocervicopexy) in a tertiary center were included in this prospective study. Anatomical cure was defined separately for the apical and anterior compartments as a Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) score of less than − 1 cm for each compartment. Subjective cure was defined as the absence of bulge symptoms. Patient satisfaction, sexual function, prolapse-related quality of life, voiding dysfunction, nocturia and constipation were assessed. Transperineal ultrasonography was used to measure anterior compartment mobility and hiatal anteroposterior diameter. Results The anatomical cure rate was 100% for the apical and 88.2% for the anterior compartment, with one symptomatic stage-II cystorectocele and one asymptomatic stage-II cystocele. The subjective cure and patient satisfaction scores were 94.12 and 100%, respectively. Ba and C points were significantly improved, and vaginal lengthening was 10.14 ± 4.19 mm. Bp ascent was 5.72 ± 11.27 mm (p = 0.053). Proximal urethral rotation and retrovesical angles were reduced by 6.24 ± 11.95° and 27 ± 47.2°, respectively (p1 = 0.047; p2 = 0.032). The hiatal anteroposterior diameter was shortened by 4.36% (p = 0.039). A significant improvement was seen with regard to nocturia episodes but not for constipation. No mesh exposure was observed. Conclusions Uterus-preserving LLSM (abdominocervicopexy) was found to be effective for the correction of apical and anterior prolapse with high levels of patient satisfaction. Significant improvements in urge symptoms and frequency of nocturia were observed. Pelvic floor ultrasound outcomes may be useful when comparing this procedure with other surgical techniques.

The Outcome of a Single-Incision Sling versus Trans-Obturator Sling in Overweight and Obese Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence at 3-Year Follow-Up

Background: Being overweight or obese is a risk factor for incontinence and has negative impacts on the surgical outcomes. Compared with trans-obturator sling (TOS), single incision sling (SIS) is a new generation of anti-incontinence surgery. However, the data on SIS in overweight and obese women remains limited. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the objective and subjective cure rate of overweight and obese women who underwent sling surgeries. Other evaluations included valid questionnaires to assess quality of life and 1-hour pad test to quantify urine leakage. Surgical characteristics and adverse events were also analyzed. Results: A total of 217 patients were analyzed with a median follow-up period of 37.3 months (range, 9–84 months). For overweight and obese patients, the objective and subjective cure rate were comparable (all p > 0.05). However, the SIS group had worse post-operative incontinence-related symptom distress (p < 0.001) and 1-hour pad test (p = 0.047). On the other hand, SIS had a shorter surgery time (p = 0.017) and lower pain score (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Compared with TOS, SIS had non-significant cure rates in the overweight and obese women. SIS had worse urine leakage and incontinence symptoms, but less surgical and wound pain in obese women. Thorough pre-operative counseling is necessary.