Purpose-Pelvic floor disorders including urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and fecal incontinence are common problems encountered by the older woman. With the increasing population of older American women, urologists and gynecologists can expect to provide evaluation and treatment of these conditions with increasing frequency. These conditions are amenable to both medical and surgical therapies.Materials and Methods-Contemporary published articles (year 2003 to present) that included older women undergoing urogynecologic surgical procedures were included in this review. Current data on morbidity, mortality and/or surgical outcomes are presented along with evidencebased pre, intra and post-operative surgical management strategies.Results-The older woman can expect similar operative risks as well as subjective and objective anatomic and quality-of-life outcomes as that of younger women undergoing pelvic floor surgery.
Conclusion-The decision for surgical intervention for the treatment of pelvic floor disorders should not be based on chronologic age alone. Prior to selection of a specific surgical procedure, all existing pelvic floor defects should be evaluated. Further research is required to understand the impact that surgery for pelvic floor disorders has on anatomic, physiologic, and functional outcomes in older women.