Retropubic autologous semitendinosus tendon transplant for female stress urinary incontinence treatment: A case report.

Worldwide, non-absorbable synthetic mid-urethral slings (MUS) are under surveillance by health authorities. It is required to re-evaluate and to develop alternatives, particularly those using the patient's own tissue (autologous techniques). We report the case of a 53-year-old patient who underwent surgical implantation of the semitendinosus tendon in the mid-urethral space via a retropubic approach, as the patient refused the implantation of conventional synthetic material. The tendon was harvested from the left knee via an anterior approach using a technique well-known by orthopedic surgeons and implanted as a retropubic MUS. The procedure, performed under general anesthesia in an outpatient procedure, was performed without peroperative complication. Postoperative bladder outlet obstruction symptoms disappeared after one week. The functional outcome and the patient reported outcome at 6 months follow-up were successful (PGI-I=1, USP=0/6/0, ICIQ-UI-SF=0).