Tension-free vaginal tape and female stress incontinence: further evidence of effectiveness.

OBJECTIVES

Female stress incontinence is a frequent and distressing event with subsequent impact on quality of life. The tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) technique is considered to fulfill the criteria for an ideal surgical procedure and we therefore reviewed our cases to further analyze its effectiveness.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

57 patients suffering from stress incontinence with grade 1-2 cystocele underwent the TVT operation. During follow-up (mean 22.2 months), the short- and long-term results were investigated.

RESULTS

91.3% of patients achieved complete resolution of previous stress incontinence in the early postoperative period. Early complications occurred in 8.7% of patients. Follow-up (mean 22.2 months) highlighted the stabilization of positive outcomes in 87.7% of cases. No postoperative modification of sexual habits and a significant improvement in quality of life were reported by all patients.

CONCLUSION

The results of our study confirm that the TVT technique for stress incontinence is an easy to perform procedure which is safe, effective and long-lasting.