Long-Term (10-15 years) follow-up after Burch colposuspension for urinary stress incontinence.

The study group comprised 127 patients who underwent a Burch colposuspension for urinary incontinence. All had undergone urodynamic investigation both pre- and postoperatively. All patients had a mean follow-up of 12.4 years (range 10-15); 109 patients had an additional urodynamic investigation at least 10 years after the operation. Following surgery there was an improvement in symptoms of frequency (P<0.001), urgency (P<0.01) and urge incontinence (P<0.001). The cure rate was 93.7%. The only significant changes found on urodynamics were the measurements of the pressure transmission ratio, which were higher postoperatively (P<0.001) and remained so after 10 years. The most frequent postoperative complications were de novo detrusor instability (16.6%) and anatomical defects (18.7%). All failed cases were found during the first postoperative year. De novo detrusor instability appeared in 12/17 patients during the first year of follow-up. Postoperative anatomical defects were found only in 4/24 patients after 5 years. Ten years postoperatively most of the anatomical defects had been detected (20/24), stressing the need for long-term follow-up.