title: Anatomic relationships of the "top-down" mid-urethral sling.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the anatomic relationships between the "top-down" mid-urethral sling (MUS) and pelvic structures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Placement of the sling needle delivery device was performed in 10 cadaveric hemi-pelves. The distances between major structures in the pelvis and the needle delivery device were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean distances are as follows: mid pubis 1.71 (+/- 0.25) cm, bladder neck 1.66 (+/- 0.37) cm, urethral orifice 3.96 (+/- 0.52) cm, obturator foramen 3.90 (+/- 0.43) cm, inferior epigastric vessels 3.50 (+/- 0.62) cm, accessory obturator vessels 3.53 (+/- 0.36) cm and external iliac vein 4.02 (+/- 0.42) cm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Major pelvic structures are in close proximity to the needle delivery device in a top-down mid-urethral sling.
authors.affiliation: Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Cooper University Hospital, 3 Cooper Plaza, Camden, NJ 08103, USA. finamore-peter@cooperhealth.edu
authors.forename: Peter S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Finamore
authors.forename: Karolynn T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Echols
authors.forename: Babak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vakili
authors.forename: Ralph R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Chesson
authors.forename: S Abbas
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Shobeiri
mesh_terms: D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000293:injuries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D010388:Pelvis / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000098:blood supply / Q000293:injuries; D014521:Urethra / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery*; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000601:surgery*; D013520:Urologic Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods