A Real-World Comparative Assessment of Complications Following Various Mid-Urethral Sling Procedures for the Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence

Abstract

Stress urinary incontinence affects a significant proportion of the adult female population in the United States with prevalence increasing with growing age. Mid-urethral slings are among surgical options offering important improvement in the condition. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical outcomes of different mid-urethral sling products with respect to postsurgery complications. This retrospective study utilized data from the Premier Perspective Database for mid-urethral sling procedures between 2005 and 2009. Patients were grouped into retropubic or transobturator cohorts, and these cohorts were further divided by the sling utilized during the procedure. Surgical outcomes and 12-month complication rates were assessed. In general, there were fewer complications noted for transobturator procedures than for retropubic procedures. In the retropubic category, Gynecare TVT had significantly lower rates of urinary obstruction/retention than other retropubic procedures. In the transobturator category, lower rates of overall pelvic complications as well as urologic complications, including urgency incontinence and urinary tract infections, were observed in the Gynecare TVTO subgroup than other transobturator procedures. Results of this study confirm the low overall rate of complications for midurethral sling procedures while at the same time suggesting that product choice may also have an impact on complication rates.