Long Term Follow-up Results of Anterior Vaginal Wall Sling Procedure for Female Stress Urinary Incontinence

Han, Deok Hyun; Kim, Eun Tak; Lee, Kyu Sung

Abstract

PURPOSE: The anterior vaginal wall sling (AVWS) was introduced to be a simpler and less morbid procedure than the fascial or synthetic slings. However, the long-term outcome of the AVWS has not been fully assessed. In this study, the long-term outcomes of AVWS in female stress urinary incontinence were determined.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 54 patients, followed-up postoperatively for at least five years, were surveyed. The surgical outcome was evaluated by pre- and post-operative SEAPI scores, subjective satisfaction and complications. The preoperative clinical parameters were analyzed using a multivariate analysis to determine the factors influencing the success.
RESULTS
After a follow-up period of at least 60 months (mean 72.3 months), 63% were cured, 24% showed improvement and 13% had unsuccessful outcomes. The multivariate analysis demonstrated no preoperative factors for the prediction of the outcome of the AVWS. In a subjective satisfaction assessment, 40.8% were extremely satisfied, 40.8% were satisfied, 9.3% felt fair, and 9.3% were dissatisfied. The short-term complications were; UTI (1 case) and operation related transfusion (1 case). The long-term complications were; de novo urge incontinence (3 cases), removal of suture material due to extra-vaginal protrusion (3 cases) and chronic pelvic pain (1 case), but there was no chronic retention.
CONCLUSIONS
An AVWS has many benefits, such as low morbidity, easiness of familiarization and can be performed on patients with anatomical incontinence and internal sphincter deficiency. Nevertheless, the complete dry rate of AVWS is 63% for a follow-up of over 5-years. With regard to its long-term durability, this procedure is considered a less effective treatment modality for female stress urinary incontinence.