Tension-free vaginal tape – a suitable procedure for patients with recurrent stress urinary incontinence

AbstractObjective. To evaluate the efficacy of the tension-free vaginal tape operation (TVT) in patients with and without previous anti-incontinence surgery. Design. Prospective follow-up study. Setting. University hospital in Finland. Population. A total of 130 women who had a TVT procedure from August 1998 to December 2002. Main outcome measures. Subjective cure, complications and voiding symptoms. Methods. Sixty women with recurrent (group A) and 70 women with primary stress urinary incontinence (SUI) (group B) were compared. One follow-up visit took place two months postoperatively and a questionnaire-based evaluation was carried out three years after operation. Further information was collected a mean of eight years after the operation. Results. There was no difference in the transient postoperative retention rate (17 vs. 19%, p = 0.78) and number of complications (20 vs. 13%, p = 0.29) between group A and group B. At two months after operation, 85% of patients in group A and 94% in group B were cure...