title: A multicenter, prospective, randomized clinical trial comparing tension-free vaginal tape surgery and no treatment for the management of stress urinary incontinence in elderly women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of our study was to test the hypothesis that elderly women undergoing tension-free vaginal tape surgery (TVT) will have a better quality of life (QOL) and satisfaction compared to non-treated women despite age- and technique-related potential morbidity.
  
  
  METHODS
  This multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled trial enrolled a total of 69 women aged over 70 years who initially consented to be randomized to either undergo immediate TVT surgery or to wait for 6 months before submitting to the same surgery (control group). The main outcomes measured at every visit (pre-randomization, 8-12 weeks and 6 months) consisted of the Incontinence-Quality of Life (I-QOL) Questionnaire, the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire and the Urinary Problems Self-assessment Questionnaire, among others.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis included 31 patients in the immediate surgery group and 27 subjects in the control group. Peri-operative complications in the immediate surgery group were bladder perforation (22.6%), urinary retention (12.9%), urinary tract infection (3.2%) and de novo urgency (3.2%). At 6 months, the mean I-QOL scores for the TVT and control groups were respectively 96.5 +/- 15.5 and 61.6 +/- 19.8 (P < 0.0001); mean Patient Satisfaction scores were respectively 8.0 +/- 2.7 and 2.0 +/- 2.4 (P < 0.0001); and mean Urinary Problems scores were respectively 4.5 +/- 4.3 and 11.6 +/- 3.5 (P < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At 6 months post-randomization, the group of elderly women who underwent immediate TVT surgery showed a significant improvement in QOL, patient satisfaction and less urinary problems compared to the group of women waiting for the same surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Sir Mortimer B. Davis-Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Campeau
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lemieux
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naud
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karsenty
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schick
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Corcos
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D013509:Gynecologic Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D053825:Suburethral Slings / Q000009:adverse effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000601:surgery*