Impact of the midurethral sling procedure on quality of life in women with urinary incontinence.
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to objectively assess the impediment of incontinence to quality of life (QoL) in females and its improvement by the midurethral sling (MUS) procedure.


METHODS
From June 2006 to June 2007, 93 female patients underwent the MUS procedure at our institute because of urinary incontinence. The incontinence quality of life (I-QoL) questionnaire was administered to measure the QoL of the incontinent patients before and 1 and 12 months after the MUS procedure. Preoperative data and urodynamic factors were analyzed retrospectively by I-QoL scores to identify factors that may affect the QoL of incontinent patients.


RESULTS
The average preoperative I-QoL score of the 93 patients was 61.1+/-21.0 points. At 1 year after surgery, the average I-QoL score was found to have improved to 98.4+/-20.7 points. There were no significant differences between stress and mixed urinary incontinence in terms of cure and satisfaction (p>0.05). I-QoL scores of the cured and improved patients increased at 1 year after surgery (p<0.01). There were no statistically significant differences in the increment of I-QoL between cured and improved patients (p>0.05). Although urinary urgency and large urine leak amounts significantly reduced preoperative QoL in incontinent patients, the MUS procedure effectively improved the QoL regardless of these factors.


CONCLUSIONS
Preoperative I-QoL assessment revealed a significant impairment of QoL in incontinent women, but the MUS procedure effectively improved these women's QoL.
Lim
Hwa Su
HS
Department of Urology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea.
Kim
Jong Min
JM
Song
Phil Hyun
PH
Kim
Hyun Tae
HT
Jung
Hee Chang
HC