Urinary Incontinence In Female Patients Research Articles

Correlation Between Insulin Resistance and Urinary Incontinence in Female Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at a high risk of developing urinary incontinence; however, its pathogenesis is unclear. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between insulin resistance and urinary incontinence and its severity in female patients with T2DM. A total of 366 women with T2DM aged ≥18 years were enrolled in this study. Insulin resistance was evaluated by the homeostasis model insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index and urinary incontinence was assessed by the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-SF). All subjects were divided into four groups according to HOMA-IR quartiles. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between insulin resistance and urinary incontinence and its severity. Among the 366 patients, 186 (50.8%) had urinary incontinence. The prevalence of urinary incontinence increased significantly with HOMA-IR quartiles (p < 0.001). Adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that compared with HOMA-IR ≤ 1.76, 2.81 ≤ HOMA-IR ≤ 4.27 was associated with a significantly increased risk of moderate incontinence (OR = 2.197, 95% CI 1.031-4.683, p = 0.041), and HOMA-IR ≥ 4.28 was associated with a significantly increased risk of severe incontinence (OR = 5.699, 95% CI 1.685-19.276, p = 0.005). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that HOMA-IR was the independent risk factor for urinary incontinence (p < 0.001). Higher levels of insulin resistance are associated with urinary incontinence and its severity in female patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Is Surgical Treatment for Obesity Able to Cure Urinary Incontinence in Women?-A Prospective Single-Center Study.

There is enough evidence to support weight loss in order to improve urinary incontinence. Nevertheless, weight loss and maintaining a lower weight are not easy to achieve in the general population. Our study aims to evaluate whether bariatric surgery has a positive effect on the symptoms of urinary incontinence in female patients. We performed a prospective study on obese female patients before and after bariatric surgery, over a period of 9 years. Patients with a BMI ≥ 33 kg/m2 were included if they described involuntary loss of urine and no previous surgery for urinary incontinence was performed. The patients underwent laparoscopic surgery, either gastric sleeve, bypass or banding, performed by four surgeons in our hospital. The type of incontinence was not assessed at the initial visit carried out by the surgeon. All patients who declared being incontinent were referred to the urologist where they received the ICIQ-UI-SF questionnaire before their bariatric surgery and during follow -up visits. The sum of points obtained at questions 3, 4 and 5 was used to evaluate the severity of incontinence, as well as the impact on the quality of life. Our evaluation collected data on age, time since onset of symptoms, pad usage, number and type of deliveries, concomitant conditions and medications. The type of incontinence was assessed by the urologist before bariatric surgery as urge, stress or mixed incontinence. At follow-up visits, the patients were also asked to fill out a 10-point VAS questionnaire evaluating their perception on the evolution of incontinence symptoms. Data were analyzed using t-test statistical analysis. Our objective defined changes in incontinence as cure, improved, no change and worse. We included 54 women from whom initial data and at least 18 months of follow-up were available. We observed that about 50% of all women undergoing bariatric surgery have some degree of urinary incontinence. The ICIQ score improved from 13.31 ± 5.18 before surgery to 8.30 ± 4.49 points after surgery (p < 0.0001). Before surgery, 38 patients (70%) described severe incontinence compared to only 20 patients (37%) after surgery. A total of 16 women (31%) reported complete cure of urinary incontinence after bariatric surgery. Data from the VAS questionnaire show improvement in 46 cases (85%). Pad usage improved from 7.04 ± 2.79 to 3.42 ± 2.77 (p < 0.001) per day. The number of patients using more than one pad per day decreased from 35 (65%) to 9 (17%). The type of incontinence did not seem to be relevant, but our sample size was too small to lead to statistically significant results. There was no impact on the outcome of incontinence of number/type of delivery, age or BMI. Our data show that bariatric surgery is able to cure urinary incontinence in one of three obese women. A significant improvement was obtained in more than two-thirds of the patients, regardless of the type of incontinence. For an obese female with urinary incontinence, treatment for obesity should prevail and incontinence should be treated only if symptoms remain.

MP37-12 SURGICAL TREATMENT OF OBESITY IS ABLE TO CURE URINARY INCONTINENCE - 9 YEARS EXPERIENCE

You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 Apr 2023MP37-12 SURGICAL TREATMENT OF OBESITY IS ABLE TO CURE URINARY INCONTINENCE - 9 YEARS EXPERIENCE Cristian Persu, Narcis Chirca, Bogdan Gabriel Buzescu, Irina Ciofu, and Viorel Jinga Cristian PersuCristian Persu More articles by this author , Narcis ChircaNarcis Chirca More articles by this author , Bogdan Gabriel BuzescuBogdan Gabriel Buzescu More articles by this author , Irina CiofuIrina Ciofu More articles by this author , and Viorel JingaViorel Jinga More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000003275.12AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: There is enough evidence to support weight loss in order to improve urinary incontinence. Nevertheless, weight loss and maintaining a lower weight are not easy to achieve in general population. Our study aims to evaluate whether bariatric surgery has a positive effect on the symptoms of urinary incontinence in female patients. METHODS: We performed a prospective study on obese female patients before and after bariatric surgery, over a period of 9 years. Patients with a BMI≥33 kg/m2 were included if they described involuntary loss of urine and no previous surgery for urinary incontinence was performed. The patients underwent laparoscopic surgery: gastric sleeve, bypass or banding, performed by four surgeons in our hospital. The type of incontinence was not assessed at the initial visit done by the surgeon. All patients who declared being incontinent were referred to the urologist where they received the ICIQ – UI -SF questionnaire before their bariatric surgery and during follow up visits. The sum of points obtained at questions 3,4 and 5 was used to evaluate the severity of incontinence as well as the impact on the quality of life. Our evaluation collected data on age, time since onset of symptoms, pad usage, number and way of deliveries, concomitant conditions and medications. The type of incontinence was assessed by the urologist before bariatric surgery, as urge, stress or mixed incontinence. At follow up visits, the patients were also asked to fill in a 10 point VAS questionnaire evaluating their perception on the improvement of incontinence symptoms. Data was analyzed using the t-test statistical analysis. Our objective defined change in incontinence as cure, improved, no change and worse. RESULTS: Our study included 54 women in which initial data and at least 18 months of follow up were available. We observed that about 50% of all women undergoing bariatric surgery have some degree of urinary incontinence. The ICIQ score improved from 13,31±5,18 before to 8,30±4,49 points after surgery (p<0.0001). Before surgery, 38 patients (70%) described severe incontinence, compared to only 20 patients (37%) after surgery. 16 women (31%) report complete cure of urinary incontinence after bariatric surgery. Data from the VAS questionnaire shows improvement in 46 cases (85%). Pad usage improved from 7,04±2,79 to 3,42±2,77 (p<0.001) per day. The number of patients using more than one pad per day decreased from 35 (65%) to 9 (17%). The type of incontinence doesn’t seem to be relevant, but our sample size was too small to lead to statistically significant results. There is no impact on the outcome of incontinence of number/type of delivery, age or BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Our data shows that bariatric surgery is able to cure urinary incontinence in one of three obese women. Significant improvement is obtained in more than two thirds of the patients, regardless the type of incontinence. For an obese female with urinary incontinence, the treatment for obesity should prevail and incontinence should be treated only if symptoms remain. Source of Funding: none © 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 209Issue Supplement 4April 2023Page: e519 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Cristian Persu More articles by this author Narcis Chirca More articles by this author Bogdan Gabriel Buzescu More articles by this author Irina Ciofu More articles by this author Viorel Jinga More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

Diagnosis and Treatment of Urinary Incontinence in Female Patients

Diagnosis and Treatment of Urinary Incontinence in Female Patients

Management of stress urinary incontinence in female patients with spinal cord injury by autologous fascial sling: time for a revival?

This study is a retrospective chart analysis. Surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in women with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) is a challenge, as minimally invasive procedures do not seem to be effective, whereas synthetic implants are associated with substantial risks. Thus, we evaluated the results of an autologous sling procedure in this group of patients SETTING: This study was performed at a spinal cord injury rehabilitation center in Switzerland. In this retrospective analysis, we evaluated the objective, subjective, and urodynamic results in women undergoing autologous sling insertion for SUI due to NLUTD at our institution. The data of 17 women who underwent fascial sling surgery were analyzed. After a median follow-up of 40 months, 8 women (47%) were continent, and another 8 patients (47%) significantly improved (1 pad/day). Median video-urodynamic parameters remained unchanged after sling insertion, but two women developed de novo detrusor overactivity. Postoperative complications occurred in 6 of the 17 patients (35.3%), which required surgical interventions in 2 women (12%) (urethral erosion by the sling and complete occlusion of the urethra after removal of the catheter), which could be resolved without loss of continence. In our case series, autologous fascial slings were effective in the treatment of SUI in women with NLUTD. As they are more effective than minimally invasive procedures, are associated with fewer complications than AUS, and seem to omit possible severe long-term consequences of synthetic slings, they are an excellent treatment option in this group of patients. Urodynamic controls are recommended, as de novo detrusor overactivity may occur after sling insertion.

Effect of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training with Biofeedback on Stress Urinary Incontinence in Females, Kelantan, Malaysia: A pilot study

Various interventions are available for preventing and treating urinary incontinence, including medication, medical devices, and surgery. Some of the patients are not keen on surgical intervention, and pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) will be another treatment option for female urinary incontinence. The current research aims to assess the effect of pelvic floor muscle training with biofeedback on improving the strength of the pelvic floor muscle, the severity of SUI, and quality of life among females with stress urinary incontinence. A random sampling of 10 patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) referred to the physiotherapy department by urogynecology department, Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II (HRPZ II), were recruited into the study of PFMT with biofeedback after a baseline assessment of the severity of stress urinary incontinence, strength, and quality of life. They were evaluated at baseline, at the 4th week, the 8th week of intervention, and a follow-up was done at the 12th week. The outcomes were measured with the incontinence severity index, perineometer, and incontinence impact questionnaire—Short Form IIQ-7. The results showed that there was a significant difference in mean SUI severity (F = 37.81, p= 0.001), strength (F = 15.44, p = 0.002), and quality of life (F = 104.11, p = 0.001) based on time. As a conclusion, pelvic floor muscle training with biofeedback is an assistive device that has significant effectiveness in the conservative treatment of stress urinary incontinence in female patients.

Injectable Biological Bulking Agent to Treat Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Feasibility Pilot Study

Background: Urinary incontinence mainly affects women regardless of age and, as it affects their quality of life, influences work, sex life and independence for activities of daily living. The treatment of stress urinary incontinence including urethral volume injection therapy can provide an intermediate option over non-surgical and surgical therapies. One of the mechanisms for stress continence depends on the effective coaptation of the urethra during the increase in intra-abdominal pressure. The bulking agents can be injected transurethral or periurethral retrogradely, using direct vision from a cystoscope. Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility and preliminary outcome performance of the bacterial polysaccharide gel used as biological bulking agent applied in female patients with stress urinary incontinence. Methods: A prospective clinical pilot study was performed, in a single institution, including female patients who were admitted to the urologic outpatient clinic with Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) without previous treatments and they were selected and underwent bulking agent procedure. The evaluation was performed at the time of enrollment and 6 months after treatment. The primary outcome was Quality of Life (QOL) using the ICIQ-SF Questionnaire. The amount of urine leakage measured by the 1-HOUR PAD-TEST was the second outcome. Results: Fifteen women (with an average age of 53 years) were submitted to the application of bacterial cellulose gel and she was analyzed. Only two patients presented unchanged incontinence. The study considered as primary outcome the improvement or disappearance of symptoms after six months of intervention. Post-intervention Quality of Life (QOL) questionnaire indicated that all of these patients related a better quality of life (62.5%). Through the PAD-test it was possible to observe a decrease in urinary leak of 85% comparing the results pre and post-intervention (BCA—Bacterial Cellulose Application) with p-value equal to 0.000009. Conclusions: The results of this pilot study suggest that the use of biological bulking agent is a promising approach to treat stress urinary incontinence in female patients. Trial registration: Registration number and date of registration should be instated in this section.

The Effect of Periurethral Injection of Pure Platelet-rich Plasma in the Treatment of Urinary Incontinence in Female Patients: a randomized clinical trial

Background: Stress urinary incontinence is a prevalent condition among a large number of women and has a negative effect on their quality of life. One treatment option is the use of bio-injectable materials to enhance closing pressures. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of the periurethral injection of pure platelet-rich plasma on the treatment of stress urinary incontinence. Methods: This study was conducted as a randomized controlled clinical trial on 20 women with stress urinary incontinence. Ten patients received periurethral injections of pure platelet-rich plasma (experimental group), while ten patients received midurethral sling procedure as the standard treatment for stress urinary incontinence ((control group). Follow-up was performed one and three months after the treatment using the international consultation on incontinence questionnaire (ICIQ), incontinence quality of life (I-QOL) questionnaire, urogenital distress inventory (UDI-6), and cough stress test. Results: Out of ten patients in the experimental group, seven cases (70%) relatively recovered after the injection. Out of ten patients in the control group, eight patients completely recovered after the procedure. There was significant difference in the questionnaire results before and after treatments, which indicates the effectiveness of these treatments in both groups. However, the response to the midurethral sling procedure was better than the response to pure platelet-rich plasma injection, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: The periurethral injection of a single dose of pure platelet-rich plasma could relatively eliminate the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence in patients. More definite results can be obtained with repeated doses of pure platelet-rich plasma, even compared with standard treatments.

Therapeutic options in female stress urinary incontinence

Stress urinary incontinence in female patients is characterised by loss of urine without the need to urinate. Causes are manifold and require a good knowledge of the pelvic floor structures and the functionality of the bladder's occlusion system. Before any treatment can be initiated, differentiated diagnostic investigation must uncover the causes in order to be able to show incontinent women the ideal therapeutic options. In addition to conservative treatment strategies, there are several surgical alternatives available that can be used depending on the functional and/or anatomical deficit. Surgical correction produces good results, although a minor rate of possible complications must be accepted.

The incidence and outcomes of urodynamic stress urinary incontinence in female patients with urethral diverticulum

To assess the incidence and management of urodynamic stress urinary incontinence (USUI) in women undergoing transvaginal excision of a urethral diverticulum (UD) at our institution. A prospective database, capturing patients undergoing urethral diverticulectomy over a 9-year period (May 2007 to August 2016), was reviewed focusing on USUI and subsequent management. One hundred patients underwent UD excision (with modified Martius labial fat-pad flap interposition). Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging data, available in 90 patients, demonstrated that 80% had complex diverticula. Complete urodynamic data were available for 93 patients. Preoperatively, 27 patients (29%) had USUI of which 16 patients resolved with either UD excision alone (n = 8) or 3 months of pelvic floor muscle therapy (PFMT) (n = 8). All 11 with persistent postoperative USUI had video urodynamics (VUDs) confirming Blaivas type 3 USUI. Six patients had a rectus fascial pubovaginal sling (RFPVS) with success in five (83.3%) while five had a mid-urethral obturator tape (MUT-O) with 100% success. Sixteen patients developed de novo stress urinary incontinence (SUI) postoperatively, with resolution after PFMT in 12 (75%). VUDS identified USUI (Blaivas type 3) in two (of the remaining four) patients, managed successfully with MUT-O (n = 1) and RFPVS (n = 1). Preoperative USUI is present in 29% with UD. Postoperatively, 35.5% (n = 33) have pre-existing (19) or de novo (14) SUI, of which 60.6% (n = 20) resolves after 12 months of conservative management. Surgery for USUI is required in 13 (13.9%), with cure in 92.3%. This supports our practice to excise UD primarily and delay USUI surgery, therefore, avoiding overtreatment for the majority.

Applicability of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in female patients.

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is an age health-related issue that generates interest due to its considerable public health burden and the controversies surrounding treatment. It is highly prevalent affecting 30-40% of all women during their lifetime. Midurethral slings are the standard of gold standard treatment for female patients with SUI. They have excellent short-term cure rates; however, their efficacy tends to decrease over time and patients often report urinary incontinence recurrence. This paper addresses the applicability of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering for the treatment of SUI in female patients. Cell-based treatment with periurethral injection of autologous adipose or muscle-derived stem cells have been used for SUI; however, the cure rates and SUI recurrence at 1 year were 40% and 70%, respectively. Novel minimally invasive approaches, such as low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapies have shown promising results in SUI animal models. In addition, local injection of growth factors, chemokines, and specific antibodies have shown histological evidence of neoangiogenesis, nerve, and sphincter regeneration in rodents and nonhuman primates with SUI. The use of bioactive factors and proteins secreted by cells, which is called secretomes, have been recognized as key regulators of various mechanisms, such as immunomodulation, angiogenesis, inflammation, apoptosis, and tissue repair. Emerging therapies aiming to replace or restore tissues and organ functionality may improve the long-term efficacy and in the near future may represent the standard of care for the treatment of SUI.

Conservative treatment options for female incontinence

In this narrative review, we give an overview of contemporary conservative treatment concepts for urinary incontinence in female patients. Hereby, we focus on pure stress urinary incontinence, urge incontinence and mixed urinary incontinence. We emphasise the value of rationally used diagnostic methods to be able to distinguish between these subentities. Regarding conservative treatment options, we focus on life-style changes, pelvic floor muscle training and drug treatment, and we discuss the results of recent studies. In addition, we provide current expert opinions and recommendations to facilitate the integration of these findings into the daily clinical routine.

Management of stress urinary incontinence in spinal cord injured female patients with a mid-urethral tape – a single center experience

Context/ObjectiveStress urinary incontinence (SUI) affects the quality of life of females with spinal cord injury (SCI), has a negative impact on functional independence and disturbs their psychosocial interaction. Our aim was to assess the efficacy of mid-urethral tapes (MUT) in managing stress urinary incontinence in this population.DesignRetrospective cohort study.ParticipantsSCI females with upper motor neuron lesion and urodynamically proven stress or mixed urinary incontinence that was treated with a mid-urethral tape and followed up for at least 12 months.InterventionsMid-urethral tapes such TVT, TOT and mini-Arc. Patient reported outcomes based on the daily use of pads and ICIQ modular questionnaire scores.Outcome measuresThe primary endpoint was defined as the success rate of MUT surgery in managing stress incontinence at 12. The secondary endpoints included the improvement rate at 12 months, the complication rates and the need for additional treatments.Results38 females were studied. At 12 months the overall patient reported success rate was 52.6%. 16% reported significant improvement. 68.4% felt the quality of life to improve. Nine patients develop tape related complications (five de novo urgency, one vaginal extrusion, one frequent dysreflexia and one worsening of incontinence).ConclusionMid-urethral tapes are effective in the management of stress urinary incontinence in female patients with spinal cord injury. There are demonstrable improvements in both continence and quality of life.

Long-term results of tension-free vaginal tape and pubovaginal sling in the treatment of stress urinaryincontinence in female patients

To report the long-term outcome of tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) and pubovaginal sling (PVS) in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in female patients. The long-term objective and subjective results of female patients who were previously randomized in a single blind study to two arms, TVT or PVS, between 2000 and 2004, were evaluated. The patients were asked if they were satisfied with the results of the procedure and if they would recommend it to a friend or relative. The assessment included a physical examination and cough-induced stress test. Satisfaction levels were assessed by Likert-type scale. Cure was described as absence of urine leakage in any circumstances, while improvement was characterized as subjective improvement of SUI without complete resolution. One hundred women with SUI underwent surgery at the present medical center between 2000 and 2004. A total of 52 patients were followed clinically for objective and subjective assessment. Seventeen were interviewed only by telephone. The objective cure rate was 81.5% and 84%, where as subjective cure rate was 70.3% and 71.9%, for TVT versus PVS, respectively (p > 0.05). After an average follow-up of 10.5 years, there was no difference in clinical outcome, satisfaction scores, and postoperative complications between the two groups. Both TVT and PVS are safe and effective treatments for SUI in fe- male patients, with acceptable success rate in long term follow-up.

Effect of autologous muscle‐derived cells in the treatment of urinary incontinence in female patients with intrinsic sphincter deficiency and epispadias: A prospective study

To evaluate the effect of autologous muscle-derived cells injection in the treatment of complicated stress urinary incontinence in female patients. Female patients presenting with severe and complicated stress urinary incontinence secondary to the bladder neck and/or urethral trauma or congenital epispadias (with or without exstrophy) were enrolled in this prospective study. They underwent transurethral injection of autologous muscle-derived cells. In selected cases, another injection was given after 6 months, as per the surgeon's assessment. All patients were monitored for 1 year, and the effect of autologous muscle-derived cells was evaluated by cough stress test, 1-h pad test and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-short form score. A multichannel urodynamic study and maximum urethral closure pressure were carried out before and 12 months after the last treatment session. Cough stress test, 1-h pad test and uroflowmetry were repeated 36 months after the last injection. Severity and occurrence of complications were recorded at each visit. All 10 patients who completed the study were monitored for 36 months. Three patients were cured, four had improved and three did not respond to the treatment. There was no major adverse effect related to the treatment. Muscle-derived cell therapy might represent a minimally-invasive and a safe procedure in the treatment of patients with severe and complicated stress urinary incontinence.

Prevalence of "complicated" stress urinary incontinence in female patients: can urodynamics provide more information in such patients?

The role of urodynamic investigation has been recently questioned on the basis of data from a selected population of patients with stress urinary incontinence defined as uncomplicated. The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of patients who underwent urodynamic investigation in our centre in whom the stress urinary incontinence could be defined as uncomplicated. The secondary aim was to assess the number of women in whom the urodynamic investigation added information to the preurodynamic assessment. This was a retrospective single-centre study. The data from female patients who underwent urodynamic evaluation prior to surgery for stress urinary incontinence between 2008 and 2012 were considered. Patients were categorized as presenting with uncomplicated or complicated stress urinary incontinence according to the definitions used in the ValUE trial. Urodynamic observations were then compared with preurodynamic data. Data from 244 female patients were considered. Due to incomplete data, 33 of these patients were excluded from the evaluation. Only 47 patients (22.3 %) were considered to have uncomplicated stress urinary incontinence according to the definition used in the ValUE trial. The remaining 164 patients (77.7 %) were considered to have complicated stress urinary incontinence. Urodynamic observations differed from the preurodynamic data in 134 of 211 patients (63.5 %). A diagnosis of voiding dysfunction was obtained in 25.6 % of patients. The majority of our patients had complicated stress urinary incontinence. In a relevant percentage of these patients, a urodynamic test added some new information, including a diagnosis of voiding dysfunction. The role of urodynamic investigation needs to be explored in this patient group.

Treating stress urinary incontinence in female patients with neuropathic bladder: the value of the autologous fascia rectus sling

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the autologous fascia rectus sling in treating stress urinary incontinence in female patients with neuropathic bladder. Furthermore, correlations between preoperative parameters and outcome were evaluated. We retrospectively reviewed operative logs from a single surgeon (EM) of 33 female patients with neuropathic bladder treated over a 3-year period for stress urinary incontinence by implantation of an autologous fascia rectus sling. Efficacy was evaluated objectively in terms of the number of pads used per day, while subjective patient satisfaction was also recorded using a global assessment question. Possible correlations between age, obesity, preoperative Valsalva leak point pressure and incontinence severity and outcome were investigated using univariate analysis. The mean follow-up time was 52 months, while the mean age of the patients was 37 years. Causes of neuropathic bladder were myelomeningocele in 21 (63.63 %) and spinal cord injury in 12 patients (36.36 %). A total of 30 patients were successfully treated and satisfied with the outcome of the operation (90.9 %). Twenty-five patients (75.75 %) were totally dry, while 5 patients (15.15 %) had markedly improved but still required one pad per day. The complication rate was 15.20 %. Univariate analysis failed to show any correlation between the final outcome and the checked parameters. The free autologous rectus fascia sling is a highly effective technique for the treatment of female stress incontinence in patients with neuropathic bladder, while the morbidity is mild.

Does Obesity Impact the Success of an InterStim Test Phase for the Treatment of Refractory Urge Urinary Incontinence in Female Patients?

Some providers believe obesity may be a relative contraindication for InterStim; however, the relationship between obesity and treatment outcome has not been evaluated. Our objectives were to compare the test phase (stage 1) success and complications of obese versus nonobese women undergoing a 2-stage InterStim procedure for refractory urge urinary incontinence (UUI). We conducted a retrospective cohort study of obese and nonobese women who underwent stage 1 InterStim for refractory UUI. We compared the stage 1 success, defined as undergoing stage 2 generator implantation after demonstrating improvement of 50% or greater during test phase and intraoperative and postoperative complications within 1 year between obese and nonobese cohorts. Of 149 subjects, 80 (53.7%) were obese (body mass index, 37.3±5.87 kg/mg), and 69 (46.3%) were nonobese (body mass index, 25.6±2.82 kg/m). The overall stage 1 success was 81%. No statistically significant difference existed in stage 1 success between obese and nonobese cohorts (83% vs 78%, P=0.52). In a logistic regression model controlling for obesity, age, preoperative incontinence episodes per 24 hours, psychiatric diagnoses, arthritis, and diabetes mellitus, age per decade was the only variable significantly associated with stage 1 InterStim success (odds ratio, 0.61; 95% confidence interval, 0.39-0.96). Complications were also similar between cohorts (obese 20% vs nonobese 13%, P=0.26). In women undergoing staged InterStim therapy, stage 1 success and complications were similar between obese versus nonobese women. These data suggest that obesity should not be considered a limiting factor when determining whether a patient is a candidate for InterStim therapy for treatment of refractory UUI.

Clinical usefulness of the transobturator sub-urethral tape in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in female patients with spinal cord lesion

ObjectivesTo evaluate the clinical usefulness of transobturator sub-urethral tapes for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women with spinal cord injury.Method and subjectsChart review for all female patients with spinal cord injury who underwent implantation of a transobturator sub-urethral tape for treatment of stress urinary incontinence at our institution.ResultsNine women, median age 45.1 years, received a sub-urethral transobturator tape in the period November 2007 to September 2010. Four patients had paraplegia and five had tetraplegia. Seven women performed intermittent catheterization. At follow up, three of the nine patients were either cured or vastly improved. One major late complication (urethral erosion) occurred. Five of the six patients without treatment success underwent second-line treatment (artificial sphincter or urinary diversion).ConclusionIn our case series, implantation of transobturator sub-urethral tapes in women with stress urinary continence due to intrinsic sphincter deficiency and a low leak point pressure led to unfavorable results.

Satisfaction and Patient Experience With Sacral Neuromodulation: Results of a Single Center Sample Survey

We systematically assessed long-term satisfaction and patient experience with sacral nerve modulation therapy. All patients who received sacral neuromodulation between 1990 and 2007 at our center and who still had the implant were included in the survey. All received a postal questionnaire regarding satisfaction and experiences with the system, such as side effects, complications, burden, impact on sexuality and defecation changes. Of the 275 questionnaires sent 207 were returned for a 75% response rate. The population was 83% female. Overall treatment was done for overactive bladder syndrome, nonobstructive urinary retention, combined overactive bladder and retention, and pelvic pain in 55%, 24%, 20% and 1% of patients, respectively. Overall satisfaction with sacral neuromodulation was high at 90%. No correlations were found between the satisfaction rate, and pretreatment age, gender, complaint type, sexual dysfunction or therapy duration. However, 56% of patients reported side effects, such as pain at the internal nerve stimulator site and due to stimulation. However, 89% of these patients did not seek further therapy. Of patients with additional defecation problems 47% experienced relief of complaints. This study shows a high satisfaction rate in patients with sacral neuromodulation. There was no relation between patient age, complaint type, therapy duration or side effects and the satisfaction rate. The number of side effects was limited but further analysis in prospective cohorts should identify patients who are likely to have side effects or stop sacral neuromodulation treatment.