Radiofrequency for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women.

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a socially disabling disorder that affects a large population of women around the world. Surgical treatments for SUI typically seek to recapitulate the support of the endopelvic fascia and reduce urethral hypermobility or improve urethral compressive forces. Radio-frequency energy is a potent tool for such treatment, as it is in other medical specialties. The development of transurethral approach techniques affords a major advantage because this nonsurgical procedure can be performed in an office setting with the use of an oral sedative and local anesthesia. The data collected to date suggest that radiofrequency treatment of SUI has promising efficacy and entails a minimal risk of adverse events. Further randomized studies with longer follow-up are needed to assess the ultimate role of this procedure in future urology practice.