A comparison of outcomes of transurethral versus suprapubic catheterization after Burch cystourethropexy.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of patients with transurethral vs suprapubic catheterization after Burch cystourethropexy. This is a retrospective cohort study of patients who had an anti-incontinence procedure primarily including Burch cystourethropexy with hysterectomy or Burch alone between July 1997 and June 2002 and comparing the outcomes of transurethral vs suprapubic catheters. The suprapubic and transurethral catheter placed were both 16-Fr Foley catheters. The variables analyzed were length of hospital stay, length of catheterization, postoperative fever, and urinary tract infection. The number of postoperative visits and complications within each group were also compared. Analysis was done utilizing Fisher's exact test and Wilcoxon's rank-sum analysis when indicated. We analyzed the charts of 217 patients. The outcomes of surgery (i.e., blood loss, postoperative morbidity, incidence of urinary tract infection, length of hospital stay) in each group did not statistically differ. There was a significant difference in length of cauterization: 7.1 days for the transurethral group and 9.61 days for the suprapubic group, a 1.79 day difference (p=0.001) and a difference in the number of visits for complaints of pain, 2.5 visits for the suprapubic group, 3.5 visits for the transurethral group (p=0.01). There were no differences in outcomes whether a transurethral or suprapubic catheter was used. There was a significant difference in duration of catheterization and extra visits to the clinic or hospital with a practitioner for the complaint of pain. Patients with a transurethral catheter had on the average one more visit than those with the suprapubic catheter.