Long-term efficacy of the single-incision mini-sling procedure using surgeon-tailored mesh.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the long-term efficacy of a surgeon-tailored single-incision mini-sling procedure (SIMS) for the surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in terms of objective cure rates, quality of life, and cost-effectiveness.

STUDY

DESIGN

This retrospective study included 93 women with pure SUI who underwent surgeon-tailored SIMS. All patients were evaluated with a stress cough test and quality of life questionnaire (Incontinence Impact Questionnaire [IIQ-7]) at 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, and last follow-up visit (4-7 years). Early and late (after 1 month) complication rates and the reoperation rate were also evaluated.

RESULTS

Mean operative time and follow-up duration were 12 ± 2.5 min and 5.7 years (4-7 years), respectively. Objective cure rates determined by the stress cough test were 83.8%, 94.6%, 93.5%, and 91.3% at 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, and last follow-up, respectively. IIQ-7 scores improved at every visit compared to the preoperative value. There were no cases of hematuria, bladder perforation, or major bleeding requires a blood transfusion.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that the surgeon-tailored SIMS procedure has high efficacy and low complication rates and offers a practical and inexpensive alternative to commercial high-cost SIMS systems.