Needle suspension procedures: past, present, and future.

This article reviews the history, evolution, and future of transvaginal needle suspension procedures for stress urinary incontinence. Although numerous technical modifications to the original Pereyra transvaginal needle suspension procedure have been described, the true success rates of these procedures are difficult to ascertain. In general, outcomes reported in the literature are variable, and few long-term studies exist. Only the results of well-designed, prospective, and long-term studies will determine whether recent advances in patient selection and continuing technical modifications will improve the outcome of bladder neck suspension procedures.