The clinical efficacy and safety of outside-in transobturator sling with additional paraurethral fixation - The prospective longitudinal study

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a common condition that affect 30-40% of women in their lifetime. Mid-urethral slings (MUS) either suprapubic or transobturator can be safely used in the surgical treatment of SUI. The aim of this study was to collect clinical long-term data regarding safety and performance of transobturator sling with an additional tape fixation in women with urinary incontinence. This prospective longitudinal study was conducted on a group of 2086 female patients diagnosed with stress urinary incontinence. Follow up visits where scheduled 6 weeks, 6 and 12 months after surgery followed by annual checking when possible. Patients underwent transobturator sling procedure from 01.01.2011 to 31.12.2021. All patients had a monofilament tape inserted at the mid-urethra using outside-in technique (TOT) with 2 absorbable sutures parallel to the urethra. Success of surgery was defined as lack of any leakage during cough stress test whereas the subjective cure rate was determined by Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-SF). 87% of patients who were operated at least 10 years before assessment reported ICIQ -SF < 6. Main postoperative complications were storage symptoms - de novo urgency and voiding difficulties. TOT is safe and highly effective surgical treatment for (SUI) in a long-term observation.