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.

Long-term follow-up of a transvaginal Burch urethropexy for stress urinary incontinence.

Rardin CR, Sung VW, Hampton BS, Clemons JL, Aguilar V, Sokol ER

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brown Medical School/Women's and Infants' Hospital, Providence, RI, USA.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to describe long-term objective and subjective success rates and complications following transvaginal Burch urethropexy for stress urinary incontinence. STUDY DESIGN: A case series of 66 women who underwent vaginal Burch urethropexy for urodynamic stress urinary incontinence with urethral hypermobility using a suture carrier device is presented. Concurrent prolapse repairs were performed as indicated. RESULTS: Sixty-six women (mean age 49.4 +/- 12.1 years) underwent vaginal Burch urethropexy. Mean follow-up time was 20.9 +/- 18.9 months. Objective failure was observed in 16 patients (24.2%). Subjective failure was reported by 21.2% of patients, with 50% and 28.8% reporting success and improvement, respectively. Six patients (9%) experienced febrile illness, 4 (6%) experienced intraoperative hemorrhage, 1 (1.5%) received transfusion, and 1 (1.5%) experienced pelvic abscess. Twelve patients (18.2%) experienced suture erosion; half required surgical revision or excision. CONCLUSION: Vaginal Burch urethropexy is generally well tolerated but is associated with poor long-term success and high suture erosion rates.

Published 6 December 2007 in Am J Obstet Gynecol, 197(6): 656.e1-5.
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