Incontinence Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Incontinence, including details on urinary incontinence, bladder control, treatment, causes.

Transfascial vaginal tape for surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence.

Foglia G, Mistrangelo E, Lijoi D, Alessandri F, Ragni N

Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University of Genova, Genova, Italy.

INTRODUCTION: In the past decade, two minimally invasive, mid-urethral sling procedures have been developed to correct stress urinary incontinence: the tension-free vaginal tape and the transobturator tape. Using similar surgical principles, we describe the placement of a sling located at the mid-urethral level and placed laterally in the previously perforated endopelvic fascia. This technique was termed transfascial vaginal tape. TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS: A 2 to 3-cm-long vertical incision was made at the mid-urethral level. A suburethral tunnel was created bilaterally in the anterior vaginal wall until the endopelvic fascia and retropubic space were reached. A 1.5 x 8-cm monofilament polypropylene mesh was placed under the mid-urethra and laterally in the previously perforated endopelvic fascia. Bilaterally, the sling was sutured to the urethropelvic ligaments. CONCLUSIONS: We describe a new, simple, safe, minimally invasive, tension-free, and cost-effective technique for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence.

Published 14 August 2006 in Urology, 68(2): 423-6.
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