The long-term outcome of retropubic urethrocystopexy (sutures and fibrin sealant) and pubococcygeal repair.

Background: To evaluate the results of retropubic urethrocystopexy (with sutures and fibrin sealant) and pubococcygeal repair five to seven years postoperatively.

Materials And Methods: Thirty women with genuine stress urinary incontinence were subjected to retropubic urethrocystopexy (n=30) and 15 women to pubococcygeal repair (n= 15). The preoperative assessment included both subjective and objective methods. The results evaluated three months, one year and five to seven years after the surgical treatment.

Results: One year after surgery 71% of the women in the urethrocystopexy group reported that they were continent, compared with only 43% five to seven years after surgery. In the pubococcygeal repair group 80% were continent at one-year follow-up, compared with 60% at the long-term follow-up. According to pad test 79% of the women in the urethrocystopexy group had ceased leaking urine at minimal activity and 64% at maximal activity five to seven years after surgery. However, in the pubococcygeal repair group the corresponding percentage was 71% under both conditions. Intravesical pressure and Body Mass Index increased significantly in the whole group but urethra conductance and maximal urine flow decreased only in the urethrocystopexy group five to seven years after the surgical treatment.

Conclusions: Accurate assessment of the results of any surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence is difficult. During long term follow-up period significant changes may occur among the women, e.g. menopause and increase of Body Mass Index both predisposing to urinary incontinence.