The influence of age on quality of life outcome in women following a tension-free vaginal tape procedure.

PURPOSE: Tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) has been introduced and demonstrated to be an effective treatment for stress urinary incontinence. Improved general health in the elderly population has led to a greater number of patients seeking surgical treatment for incontinence. We evaluated the impact of TVT on quality of life in elderly patients, defined as age 70 and older.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

We prospectively evaluated 67 patients with genuine stress incontinence differentiated by age into 2 groups, namely 21 who were 70 years and older, and a control group of 46 younger than 70 years, with a validated questionnaire. We assessed quality of life changes following TVT for incontinence treatment.

RESULTS

At the most recent followup quality of life scores improved significantly in the 2 groups (p <0.05). Stress incontinence improved significantly in the 2 groups (p <0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

TVT is effective in each group. It is a viable treatment option to improve quality of life in older women with stress urinary incontinence.