The Marshall-Marchetti-Krantz procedure: a critical review.

The success of the Marshall-Marchetti-Krantz procedure is reviewed in 56 articles that were predominantly retrospective analyses. The overall success rate was 86.1 per cent in 2712 cases, with 92.1 per cent in primary and 84.5 per cent in repeat procedures. An overall complication rate of 21.1 per cent was calculated. The frequency of osteitis pubis was 2.5 per cent. Lack of pre- or postoperative urodynamic evaluation in the selection of cases, loss of patients to follow-up in reported series, and the lack of long-term follow-up cases must be considered in appraising this retrospective review.