TVT-O for the Treatment of Pure Urodynamic Stress Incontinence: Efficacy, Adverse Effects, and Prognostic Factors at 5-Year Follow-up

Background: Inside-out tension-free vaginal transobturator tape (TVT-O) is currently one of the most effective and popular procedures for the surgical treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI), but data reporting long-term outcomes are scarce. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of TVT-O 5-yr implantation for management of pure SUI in women. Design, setting, and participants: A prospective observational study was conducted in four tertiary reference centers. Consecutive women presenting with urodynamically proven, pure SUI treated by TVT-O were included. Patients with mixed incontinence and/or anatomic evidence of pelvic organ prolapse were excluded. Intervention: TVT-O implantation without any associated procedure. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: Data regarding subjective outcomes (International Consultation on Incontinence-Short Form [ICIQ-SF], Patient Global Impression of Improvement, patient satisfaction scores), objective cure (stress test) rates, and adverse events were collected during follow-up. Multivariable analyses were performed to investigate outcomes. Results and limitations: Of the 191 women included, 21 (11.0%) had previously undergone a failed anti-incontinence surgical procedure. Six (3.1%) patients were lost to follow-up. The 5-yr subjective and objective cure rates were 90.3% and 90.8%, respectively. De novo overactive bladder (OAB) was reported by 24.3% of patients at 5-yr follow-up. Median ICIQ-SF score significantly improved from 17 (interquartile range [IQR]: 16-17) preoperatively to 0 (IQR: 0-2) (p < 0.0001). Failure of a previous anti-incontinence procedure was the only independent predictor of subjective recurrence of SUI (hazard ratio [HR]: 4.4; p = 0.009) or objective (HR: 3.7; p = 0.02). No predictive factor of de novo OAB was identified. Conclusions: TVT-O implantation is a highly effective option for the treatment of women with pure SUI, showing a very high cure rate and a low incidence of complications after 5-yr follow-up. (C) 2012 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Urogynecology Unit, University of Insubria, Piazza Biroldi 1, 21100 Varese, Italy. Tel. +39 0332 299 309; Fax: +39 0332 299 307. E-mail address: mauserati@hotmail.com (M. Serati).