Impact of age on outcomes of midurethral sling procedures in women

Introduction and hypothesis Trans-obturator tape (TOT) and tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) comprise minimally invasive surgical management for stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate outcomes of TOT and TVT among different age groups of women. Methods Medical records of patients who underwent TOT and TVT from January 2010 to December 2015 were reviewed. Patients were stratified into three groups according to age. All patients were interviewed routinely before and after surgery. The primary outcome was cure rate after surgery. Secondary outcomes included hospital stay, operative time, blood loss in surgery, and complication rate. A total of 616 patients diagnosed with SUI and 262 patients who had not undergone any concurrent surgery were eligible for study inclusion. Results A total of 616 patients diagnosed with SUI and 262 patients who had not undergone any concurrent surgery were eligible for study inclusion. There were 81 patients in group 1 (<= 50 years), 97 patients in group 2 (51-59 years), and 84 patients in group 3 (>= 60 years). After surgery, there were no significant differences in cure rates among the three groups (96.3% vs. 94.8% vs. 97.6%, P = 0.623). There were also no significant differences in operation time, blood loss, hospital stay, and complication rate among the three groups. When analyzing the TOT group (217 patients) and TVT group (45 patients) separately, primary and secondary outcomes did not differ significantly according to age group. Conclusions As surgical management for SUI, midurethral sling procedures, both TOT and TVT, were found to be safe and effective among different age groups.