Tension-free vaginal tape procedure: an effective minimally invasive operation for the treatment of recurrent stress urinary incontinence?

The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) surgery in women with recurrent stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Fifty-one women with recurrent SUI were treated with TVT and followed prospectively for a minimum of 2 years according to a protocol. Twenty percent of the women had already undergone two previous continence procedures, whereas 80% had undergone only one. The mean follow-up period was 25.3 months. The objective cure rate was 89.6%, and the subjective cure rate 80.4%. No serious complications occurred. The majority of the patients were discharged in the afternoon of the operation day. No significant difference was observed between pre- and postoperative residual urine, maximal urethral closure pressure, and total and maximum voided urine volume values. However, the changes in urinary frequency, minimum voided volume, pad test results, and visual analog scale scores were highly significant. TVT appears to be a safe and suitable treatment for recurrent SUI. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel