Long-term outcomes of retropubic tension-free vaginal tape for stress urinary incontinence after a transobturator tape failure: a retrospective study

Management of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after a transobturator tape (TOT) failure is a controversial issue. There are few long-term data on the different treatment options. The aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of retropubic suburethral slings (RP-TVT) in this setting. A descriptive retrospective study was performed among women with persistent/recurrent SUI treated at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital between January 2006 and December 2014. All women were preoperatively evaluated to rule out complications of the first sling. Postoperative follow-up was performed at 1, 6 and 12 months and yearly thereafter. Outcomes were classified as cured, improved or failed. Forty-one women were operated on over the study period. The median follow-up time was 103.2 months. Likelihood to be cured or improved at 3, 5, 7 and 10 years was 78.0%, 75.4%, 71.9% and 67.4%, respectively. Absence of urethral hypermobility was the only variable related to RP-TVT failure. Complications during follow-up were observed in 39% of patients, although most of them were mild. However, two cases (4.9%) of vaginal exposure and three (7.3%) of lower urinary tract extrusion were observed. De novo urgency occurred 17.1% of women. RP-TVT showed reasonable long-term effectiveness but had a high overall complication rate in the treatment of persistent/recurrent SUI after TOT. Expected outcomes and possible side effects should be discussed in detail during counseling before opting for a treatment option.