Autologous mid-urethral sling for stress urinary incontinence: Preliminary results and description of a contemporary technique

Objective: The objective of this article is to describe the preliminary results of a contemporary technique for autologous rectus fascial sling insertion for stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the case notes of all patients who underwent autologous mid-urethral sling (aMUS) insertion by a single surgeon at our institution over a four-year period (2008-2012). Our novel technique utilises a minimal suprapubic incision, a specially designed reusable retropubic needle and mid-urethral sling positioning in a tension-free fashion as opposed to a tensioned bladder neck sling. Results: Thirty-eight patients were identified. Fifty per cent reported pure SUI whilst 47% had mixed urinary incontinence. Patients used an average of four pads per day (one to eight), and 26% of patients had at least one previously failed SUI procedure. Post-operative symptom questionnaires revealed mean Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI) scores of 1.8 (1-4), indicating that the majority of patients were very much or much improved. Only 8% of patients reported de novo OAB symptoms. Intraoperative bladder perforation occurred in only two patients. There was no incidence of chronic pain, sexual dysfunction or erosion. Conclusion: In a heterogeneous group of women with primary or recurrent stress urinary incontinence, the aMUS was found to have good subjective short-term cure rates with acceptable patient-reported satisfaction scores. We report a low rate of de novo OAB symptoms, no cases of erosion and no chronic pelvic, groin, or vaginal pain. We believe that aMUS is a good alternative to synthetic mid-urethral sling surgery and could be offered to women contemplating surgery for SUI.