Objective: To determine the overall patient satisfaction following the Burch procedure versus the paravaginal/Burch procedure in the treatment of genuine stress urinary incontinence (GSUI).Methods: A retrospective analysis of 50 consecutive patients operated for GSUI between January 1996 and April 1998 was performed. Patient satisfaction was assessed by means of telephone interviews asking four predetermined questions: 1) Did you feel that your recuperation while in the hospital was complicated? 2) Have you had any recurrence of symptoms postoperatively? 3) Do you have any urinary discomfort to report? 4) Are you satisfied with the results achieved after the surgery?Results: Twenty percent of patients with the Burch reported their hospital course as complicated, compared with 12% of the paravaginal group. Symptoms of detrusor instability were reported in 4/25 (16%) and 2/25 (8%) patients after Burch and paravaginal/Burch, respectively. There were two cases of recurrent GSUI, one in each group. Lower urinary tract symptoms were reported in 7/25 (28%) and 3/25 (12%) patients following Burch and paravaginal/Burch procedures. The overall patient satisfaction was 56% following the Burch procedure and 76% for the paravaginal/Burch procedure.Conclusions: The paravaginal/Burch procedure seems to have greater patient satisfaction, compared with the Burch procedure. A more detailed study looking at different parameters of surgical outcome is needed in assessing the variables surrounding patient satisfaction.