Efficacy of Pelvic Floor Ultrasound for Assessing Transobturator Tape Sling Procedure.

IMPORTANCE

Complications after midurethral sling, which require a high degree of clinical suspicion for timely diagnosis, accurate evaluation, and proper intervention, are closely associated with surgical success or failure.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and complications of tension-free midurethral sling for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) using pelvic floor ultrasound.

STUDY

DESIGN

This retrospective study included 152 female patients with SUI admitted to the Jinhua Central Hospital between January 2020 and December 2021 who were selected. All patients underwent midurethral transobturator tape sling procedures and were divided into success, voiding dysfunction, overactive bladder, and failure groups according to postoperative efficacy and complications. The pelvic floor ultrasound examination was performed before and after the surgery.

RESULTS

The posterior vesicourethral angle difference ( P < 0.01) was significantly lower after the surgery than before the surgery. The rate of bladder neck funneling ( P < 0.01) and the area of bladder neck funneling ( P < 0.01) were smaller after the surgery than before the surgery. The tape-longitudinal smooth muscle distance, the tape-symphysis pubis distance, the sling angle, and the tape-bladder neck/urethra increased successively in the voiding dysfunction, overactive bladder, success, and failure groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Pelvic floor ultrasound can accurately evaluate the postoperative efficacy and complications of transobturator tape sling procedures for SUI and can reasonably guide the management of complications. Therefore, it is an effective imaging method for postoperative follow-up after tension-free midurethral tape suspension.