Abstract
PurposeThe purpose is to analyse perioperative complications associated with the retropubic tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) procedure and their management.MethodsThis retrospective, monocentric cohort study included 960 women after retropubic TVT procedure performed by one surgeon from 2011 to 2016. Complications were identified up to 6 weeks after the procedure, divided into specific and general complications and classified based on the Clavien–Dindo (CD) Classification. A visit 6 weeks after the surgical procedure was attended by all patients.Results77 complications, of which 74 occurred postoperatively and 3 intraoperatively, affecting 72 (7.5%) out of 960 women. Urinary retention and voiding problems were the most common complication. The mean age of women suffering complications was 3.4 years higher in comparison to the mean age of women without complications (p = 0.036). The Body Mass Index (BMI) of the group of women with perioperative complications had an average BMI which was 0.5 kg/m2 lower than the average BMI of the women without complications. 22 (12.8%) out of 172 women with recurrent stress incontinence had postoperative complications, of which 21 were related to the TVT.ConclusionThe retropubic TVT is a surgical procedure associated with a low number of perioperative complications, even in the group of elderly and overweight women, as well as in cases of recurrent stress incontinence.
Highlights
Female urinary incontinence is a worldwide issue, with the incidence increasing with age [1]
We show means with standard deviations (SD) and range or numbers with percentages as appropriate
Complications were divided into specific tension-free vaginal tape (TVT)-related complications and general complications, which can occur following any surgery
Summary
Female urinary incontinence is a worldwide issue, with the incidence increasing with age [1]. 50% of women worldwide have to deal with this problem once in a lifetime [2] and will, lose quality of life [3]. Stress incontinence is a common subtype affecting 37% of women older than 40 years in Germany [4]. Non-surgical therapies should be considered first because they usually carry the least risk of harm [5]. The retropubic tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) was first introduced by Ulmsten et al in 1996 [6]. In comparison to earlier surgical treatments, the TVT supports the midurethra, is tension free and minimally invasive [7]
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