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Introduction: Implants used to treat patients with urogynecological conditions are well visible in US examination. The position of the suburethral tape (sling) is determined in relation to the urethra or the pubic symphysis. Aim of the study: The study was aimed at assessing the accuracy of measurements determining suburethral tape location obtained in pelvic US examination performed with a transvaginal probe. Material and methods: The analysis covered the results of sonographic measurements obtained according to a standardized technique in women referred for urogynecological diagnostics. Data from a total of 68 patients were used to analyse the repeatability and reproducibility of results obtained on the same day. Results: The intraclass correlation coefficient for the repeatability and reproducibility of the sonographic measurements of suburethral tape location obtained with a transvaginal probe ranged from 0.6665 to 0.9911. The analysis of the measurements confirmed their consistency to be excellent or good. Conclusions: Excellent and good repeatability and reproducibility of the measurements of the suburethral tape location obtained in a pelvic ultrasound performed with a transvaginal probe confirm the test's validity and usefulness for clinical and academic purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a rise in the use of sonographic urethrocystography in patients with a full bladder. So far, no publications have been made on the analysis of repeatability and reproducibility of the measurements performed during this procedure. Aim: An assessment of repeatability and reproducibility of urethral length measurements during sonographic urethrocystography in females with a full bladder in the introital approach, using real-time two-dimensional transvaginal ultrasound. Material and methods: The ultrasound was performed in accordance with a standardized technique in female patients with a full bladder containing 200-300 mL of liquid. A total of 92 patients were included in the analysis. Results: The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient for repeatability and reproducibility of urethral length measurements in sonographic urethrocystography ranged between 0.9217 and 0.9873 (p = 0.0000). The analysis of ultrasound urethral length measurements taken by two different physicians at an interval of several months confirmed their very high compatibility (ICC = 0.81, p = 0.000). Conclusions: Very good repeatability and reproducibility of urethral length findings during sonographic urethrocystography performed in accordance with the presented technique support the possible use of this type of examination in both clinical practice and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Despite a wide array of vaginal tapes to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI), evidence suggesting that both patient characteristics and tape positioning influence outcomes, and differing tape insertion pathways (retropubic vs. transobturator), it remains unclear if the same incision location is effective for all tapes. The aim of the study was to compare outcomes using two different surgical incision locations when inserting a transobturator vaginal tape (TOT) to treat SUI. Methods We compared patient characteristics, tape positioning, and surgical outcomes in 123 women undergoing a TOT procedure who were randomly assigned to have the surgical incision begin at 1/3 of the sonographically-measured urethral length (similar to the traditional retropubic approach) or 1/2 of the urethral length. Results It was feasible to place the tape according to intention in 99.2% of the study cohort. The overall cure rate was higher when the incision site began at 1/2 the urethral length (83.6%) than 1/3 (62.9%) ( P = 0.01). In the subgroup analyses, only patients with normal urethral mobility had significantly different cure rates (85.7% vs. 55.2%, P = 0.02). No significant differences in cure rates were observed between the other mobility categories of the study groups-hypermobility was consistently associated with high cure rates and hypomobility with low cure rates. Conclusions When surgically treating SUI with a TOT, incision at the mid-urethra using the 1/2 rule is recommended as it leads to better outcomes for most patients, particularly those with normal urethral mobility. Neurourol. Urodynam. 34:741-746, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Sling techniques are the method of choice in stress urinary incontinence management, despite the high rates of complications leading sometimes to the necessity of re-operation, and the tape transection and resection are of the greatest importance. The study was aimed at analyzing the indications, technique and effects of transvaginal tape excision.Material and Methods: A retrospective study including 100 patients who underwent surgical removal of the sub-urethral sling in Evangelisches Krankenhaus Hagen-Haspe was conducted. The analyzed measures were: sling type, onset of symptoms, rates of particular complications, safety and outcome of the operative procedure.Results: Most complications occurred in the first 2 years after surgery. The most common indications for re-operation were: overactive bladder (OAB) (64%), persistent stress urinary incontinence (SUI) (59%), pain (40%), urinary retention (40%), and erosion (29%). Some of the complications co-existed (i.e. vaginal erosion with postoperative pain, infections with urinary retention). During the procedure 1 bladder was injured and 1 patient had a hematoma. In women with OAB, 24-hour frequency decreased from 13.3 to 8.5 (p < 0.001), the mean voiding volume increased from 131.7 to 216.4 ml (p < 0.001), and nocturia increased from 3.28 to 1.19 (p < 0.001). Intensity of urgency decreased from 8.78 to 0.92 in the 10-point visual score (p < 0.001). Pain and urinary retention resolved in 39 out of 40 patients (p < 0.0001). The rate of SUI increased from 59% to 83% (p < 0.001).Conclusions: Sling removal is safe and associated with a minimal rate of complications. Removing the tape causes resolution of most of the complications, but SUI recurs or worsens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims This study assessed the effectiveness of ultrasound in determining tape distance to urethra and the impact of early tape mobilization on outcomes in women with postoperative voiding dysfunction resulting from a too tightly positioned tension-free vaginal tape (TVT). Methods A prospective observational study was conducted with women experiencing voiding dysfunction caused by too tightly positioned tapes. Ultrasound was used to identify the cause of the dysfunction and measure the distance between tape and longitudinal smooth muscle layer (LSM) of the urethra. If the tape was too close to the LSM (<3 mm) and the residual volume was >100 ml, it was mobilized under local/analgosedation shortly after the initial TVT procedure. Results Seventy-one postoperative TVT mobilization procedures were conducted on 61 women, which was 4.1% (61/1501) of all suburethral tape procedures performed. Early tape mobilization restored normal micturition in 59 (96.7%) of the women at the time of discharge. Significant differences were found in residual volumes ( P < 0.001) and tape-LSM distances ( P < 0.001) pre- and post-mobilization. At 6-month follow-up visits, 58 (95.1%) women were cured of SUI, three were incontinent, and no additional voiding dysfunction occurred. Conclusions Immediate postoperative ultrasound can reliably detect too tightly positioned tapes that can be promptly treated with tape mobilization, a short and safe procedure that does not compromise the outcome of the original procedure. Neurourol. Urodynam. 33:1147-1151, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to examine the correlations between specific urethral function parameters observed in urodynamic testing and selected urethral characteristics evaluated by pelvic floor ultrasonography. Additionally, the presence of urethral funneling during straining was evaluated in female patients referred for surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence., Material and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 192 female patients referred for surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence with the use of retropubic tension-free vaginal tape. Maximum urethral closure pressure and functional urethral length were evaluated urodynamically during resting profilometry. Ultrasound measurements, along with the assessment of funneling, were performed as part of the pelvic floor examination, following the technique described by Kociszewski. Patients with clinically significant pelvic organ prolapse, a history of anterior compartment surgery, prior radiotherapy, or symptoms of overactive bladder were excluded from the analysis., Results: The values obtained from urodynamic and ultrasound examinations were evaluated statistically. No correlation was identified between the analyzed urodynamic and ultrasound parameters. Long urethral funneling was confirmed in all patients with stress urinary incontinence assessed as eligible for the placement of tension-free vaginal tape., Conclusions: The results indicate that urodynamic and ultrasound examinations assess distinct aspects of urethral anatomy and function, and therefore their findings cannot be used interchangeably. Long urethral funneling assessed during pelvic floor ultrasonography was noted in all patients with clinically and urodynamically confirmed stress urinary incontinence., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The Authors do not declare any financial or personal links with other persons or organisations that might adversely affect the content of the publication or claim any right to the publication., (© 2024 Hubert Wójtowicz et al., published by Sciendo.)

Approximately one-third of the female population has been estimated to suffer from stress urinary incontinence. Surgical management of this disorder has been an area of ongoing innovation since the beginning of the 20th century. Better understanding of the underlying patomechanisms resulted in the invention of suburethral sling, that proved to be very effective in terms of the cure rates. The introduction of sling techniques also caused a considerable reduction of the rates of intra- and postoperative complications of incontinence treatment. Unfortunately modern anti-incontinence surgery continues to be associated with a high risk of both, perioperative morbidity and long-term adverse outcomes, even with the recently introduced single-incision techniques. The article focuses on intra- and postoperative complications of sling techniques in anti-incontinence surgery. Both, common and rare adverse outcomes are widely discussed.