[Functional results of the TVT procedure: a postal questionnaire on 144 patients with a median follow-up of 20 months].
Introduction. The TVT procedure has been changed the surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The aim of this study was to collect the patient's point of view.


METHODS
and


METHODS
The TVT procedure was performed to treat SUI on 144 consecutive women in our institution between May 1998 and December 2000. We have sent a postal questionnaire to all patients in order to determine subjective results on SUI and post-operative voiding difficulties.


RESULTS
We have obtained 124 responses (86.1% of patients). The median follow-up was 20 months +/- 12 (range 8 to 38 months). The patients were "very satisfied" in 56.5% (n=70), "satisfied" in 34.6% (n=43) and "unsatisfied" in 8.9% of cases (n=11). The functional discomfort about SUI was, on a 0 to 10 visual analog scale, 7.5 +/- 2 preoperatively and 2.2 +/- 2.8 post-operatively. Only 13.7% of patients have SUI postoperatively, and then 86.3% are considered cured. Nevertheless, voiding difficulties are common after this procedure with 31.5% of patients complaining about dysuria. On 96 patients who had had mixed incontinence preoperatively, 45.8% (n=44) complaining about persistent urge symptoms. On 28 patients who had had pure SUI, 28.6% (n=8) complaining about de novo urge symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
The TVT procedure is an efficient treatment of stress urinary incontinence, but with numerous post-operative voiding difficulties. This conclusion justify a precise pre-operative information to the patients.
De Tayrac
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Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique, Hôpital Antoine Béclère, 157, rue de la Porte-de-Trivaux, 92141 Clamart Cedex. herve.fernandez@abc.ap-hop-paris.fr
Kadoch
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IJ
Gervaise
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A
Fernandez
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D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000601:surgery*; D014555:Urination Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D013520:Urologic Surgical Procedures