Pubovaginal sling, the godfather of midurethral slings that remained so

Abstract

Forty years ago, autologous fascial slings became the gold standard in the treatment of genuine stress incontinence. In 1996, a synthetic material sling was introduced to the urogynecological literature known as tension-free vaginal tape. Some years later, another synthetic tape was introduced through a novel trajectory: transobturator. Due the conception of most polypropylene synthetic tapes, scores of devices, applicators and tape designs evolved. Now, with reports surfacing in the urologic literature on the adverse events of synthetic tapes and their potentially fatal complications, it is prudent to endeavor once more the place of autologous pubovaginal sling. This review addresses the evolution of pubovaginal slings and milestones of its journey to its current position in surgery of incontinence.