Proposal for a novel and inexpensive surgical instrument to perform the tension-free vaginal tape procedure in women with genuine stress incontinence.

The tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) technique is now commonly used in the management of female genuine stress incontinence. Short operation time, small amount of local anesthetic, fast postoperative mobilization, brief hospital stay, little residual urinary volume and little need for sick leave make TVT a simple and well-accepted minimal invasive surgery for the treatment of stress incontinence. We became suspicious of the procedure due to the very expensive cost of the instrumentation. Moreover we think that this "blind" procedure may be less dangerous by using a more familiar instrument than a large and gross steel needle. We propose the use of an unmodified procedure with a new, cheaper and easy-to-use steel clamp-like-instrument.