Ten-year follow-up after conservative treatment of stress urinary incontinence.

A follow-up study was done in 33 women 10 years after they had participated in a study on conservative treatment of stress urinary incontinence. The evaluation included a 24-h pad test, a short stress test, and two validated quality of life questionnaires. Currently, five women (15%) were still doing pelvic floor muscle training at least twice per week. During the interim, 15 (47%) women had undergone stress incontinence surgery, and 12 (80%) of these were continent. Among the 18 non-operated women, only one (6%) was continent. The difference is statistically highly significant (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, 10 years after conservative treatment of stress incontinence, 85% of the women had stopped conservative treatment, and 94% of those not operated were still incontinent. Significantly more of those who had undergone interval incontinence surgery were now continent.