Treatment of genuine stress incontinence with tension free vaginal tape: five years experience in tuen mun hospital

Abstract

Aim: Tension free vaginal tape (TVT) is a minimal invasive treatment for genuine stress incontinence by providing a mid‐urethral support. The aim of this study is to review our experience in using the TVT in the treatment of stress incontinence in our hospital since 1999. Patients and methods: Twenty‐three patients with genuine stress incontinence were treated with the TVT between March 1999 and January 2004. The mean age was 50. The preoperative investigations included history, physical examination, and aerodynamic study. Patients with derisory instability or significant cystoscoele were excluded. They were followed up after the operation and the outcome of procedure including improvement in symptoms and number of pads used were assessed. Results: Operative time ranged from 25 to 50 min with a mean of 29. Blood loss was minimal and the hospital stay ranged from 1 to 4 days (mean 1.9 days). They were followed up for a period ranging from 2 to 60 months with a median of 62 months. 95.6% of the patients are completely dry and do not require the use of pad anymore. 91.3% of the patients are very satisfied with the result of the operation. Conclusion: TVT is a safe and effective procedure for stress incontinence. The short‐term good results have been documented in various studies. This study shows that the mid‐term results are very promising as well as the dryness is well sustained in our patients with a median follow up of 32 months.