Translabial Ultrasound for Assessment of Synthetic Midurethral Sling Complications

The Role of Pelvic Ultrasound in Evaluating the Success of Tension-free Vaginal Tape (TVT)

Objectives

This study aims to assess the lack of response to treatment in individuals undergoing mid-urethral sling surgery for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) using ultrasound findings of the pelvic floor.

Methods

The study included patients who underwent the tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) procedure for stress urinary incontinence within the period spanning from January 2016 to January 2021. The physical examination involved maintaining bladder filling at an average volume of 200-400 mL, and treatment failure was determined by the presence of SUI during the Valsalva maneuver.

Results

The study comprised a total of 214 patients, where it was observed during the stress test that 32 patients (25.8%) had an unsuccessful outcome following mid-urethral sling surgery. In the unsuccessful group, the distance of the mesh-posterior urethra was lower (4.09±0.39 vs. 4.91±0.51; p<0.001), the posterior urethrovesical angle was lower when at rest, but the angle increased more significantly during the Valsalva maneuver, and the bladder neck angle was narrower (p<0.001).

Conclusion

We obtained lower mean values of mesh-posterior urethral distance in unsuccessful patients compared to those found in the group of cured patients. Pelvic floor ultrasound can predict the success of TVT surgeries but there is as yet little data and there is a need to find in the near future more standard and objective parameters for the diagnosis of urinary incontinence.

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. Midurethral 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.

Translabial Ultrasound: An Effective Modality for Evaluation of Midurethral Sling Revision

ABSTRACT

Midurethral sling (MUS) surgical procedures, in which a polypropylene synthetic mesh graft is transvaginally placed to support the urethra and manage stress urinary incontinence (SUI), is commonly performed ( Urology. 2013;82(1):38-41; Radiology. 2018;289(3):728-729). Within 10 years of sling placement, about 1 in 20 women undergo subsequent surgery to revise their mesh, in which the mesh is cut or partially excised ( Obstet Gynecol . 2019;133:1099-1108). Translabial ultrasound (TLUS) has been described as a sensitive technique for viewing MUS, although few studies have evaluated its ability to view surgically revised MUS ( Radiology . 2018;289(3):721-727). Understanding the anatomy of the MUS is critical to urologists and urogynecologists striving to optimize management of patients presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms and history of MUS. To assess the clinical utility and reliability of TLUS as a diagnostic tool in its detection of MUS discontinuity, we conducted a retrospective analysis on patients who underwent TLUS at a tertiary care center between September 2017 and May 2020 for indication of lower urinary tract symptoms and history of MUS placement. Performance of TLUS was evaluated by comparing findings with operative or clinical records. Among the 81 women included, detection of MUS revision, which was defined as a discontinuity in sling material, had a sensitivity of 84.6% and specificity of 97.1%. Translabial ultrasound is an inexpensive, nonirradiating, and noninvasive modality that is effective at visualizing MUSs. It is a reliable identifier of previous MUS revision, in which it detects a midline discontinuity of the hyperechoic mesh with an average 10 mm gap.

Construction of a Prognostic Score for Ultrasound Evaluation of the Transobturator Sling for Stress Urinary Incontinence

Currently, pelvic floor ultrasound allows us to correctly visualize the synthetic material used in stress urinary incontinence surgery. The objective of this study is the construction of a score and its correlation with the SUU clinic. During the study period, 81 patients with transobturator slings were studied using ultrasound. Through multivariate analysis, the statistically significant variables were the distance from the sling to the urethral wall (p = 0.004), the shape of the sling at rest (p = 0.003), and the symmetry of the mesh (p = 0.016). Through these variables, the construction of a score was carried out. Once the model was constructed, its internal validation was carried out to determine the discrimination capacity of patients who present clinical stress and those who do not, with an area under the curve of 0.848 (95% CI (0.72−0.97), p < 0.001). This simple score using three ultrasound variables serves to adequately and objectively discriminate patients who have successful surgery and absence of clinical effort.