[Can transobturator tape for urinary incontinence cause complete urinary retention?].

The surgical management of stress urinary incontinence has been revolutionized with the development of minimally invasive suburethral tape techniques, which ensure a high continence rate by means of a rapid procedure with a short hospital stay. Although morbidity and adverse effects are uncommon, they must be kept in mind in order to adopt an appropriate strategy designed to prevent their development. Urinary retention is the most frequent postoperative complication of retropubic tape. The recent transobturator tape technique modifies the location of the tape with an angulation more close resembling that of fascial support tissues, thereby decreasing the theoretical risk of retention. The authors report the first case of complete urinary retention and discuss the mechanism and therapeutic strategy.