Transobturator tape operation is more effective in premenopausal women than in postmenopausal women with stress incontinence.
OBJECTIVE
Midurethral synthetic slings for female stress urinary incontinence are minimally invasive polypropylene mesh tapes that are inserted under the midurethra with trocars. In the past decade, this new technology has become the most commonly performed procedure for female stress urinary incontinence, replacing the traditional open procedures. However, its effectiveness in pre- and postmenopausal women has not previously been compared.


METHODS
We assessed the clinical outcome of the transobturator tape (TOT) procedure in premenopausal (n=45) and postmenopausal (n=49) women by means of self-report and the Urinary Distress Inventory 6 (UDI-6) questionnaire.


RESULTS
The mean age of the pre- and postmenopausal women was 44 and 60 years, respectively. Mean parity was 2.4 and 3, respectively. There were no significant differences with respect to mean operation time, duration of hospitalization, or intraoperative and postoperative complications. However, premenopausal women were more satisfied with the operation than were postmenopausal women (p=0.014). Also, UDI-6 scores were significantly better in premenopausal women (p=0.027).


CONCLUSIONS
The TOT operation appeared to be more effective in premenopausal women with stress urinary incontinence. However, further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm our results.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baskent University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Polat
P
Dursun
Tevfik Berk
TB
Bildaci
Hulusi Bulent
HB
Zeyneloglu
Esra
E
Kuscu
Ali
A
Ayhan