Overactive Bladder Prevalence after Surgery for Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Abstract

In this review, we set out to address the clinically complex question of how patients with overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) fare with respect to symptomatic improvement after surgical treatment of POP. Our objectives are to use the current literature to define appropriate patient expectations for improvement and cure and to look for factors predicting divergent outcomes, with the goal of offering realistic preoperative patient counseling. Secondary aims include highlighting areas of needed research, defining outcome measures, and examining theories regarding the relationship between OAB and POP. Relevant original papers and review articles were identified by conducting a literature search using PubMed and Medline. The cause of OAB symptoms and the relationship between vaginal wall prolapse and OAB remain unclear. However, POP repair seems to improve the symptoms of OAB syndrome in 30% to 80% of patients, with a small but significant percentage of patients (≤20%) developing de novo symptoms of OAB.