TVT Provides Long-Term Relief

Treating women with tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) lasts 7 years, reported the researchers in Obstetrics and Gynecology (December 2004). The procedure involves placing a polypropylene tape around the midurethra, through a small vaginal incision. Lead author Carl Gustaf Nilsson, MD, PhD, said the operation "can be performed as a day surgery procedure and needs only 10 days recovery."

For the study, the researchers followed up on 80 women 7 years after having undergone TVT. Of the 64 women who could be examined at the clinic, 54 (84%) were dry on a pad test, and 61 (95%) had a negative stress test.

The overall cure rate was 81% among all 80 women. The researchers noted that 18 women reported symptoms of urge, but none of the participants complained of voiding difficulties and there were no indications of the tape material being rejected.

"The absence of long-term adverse events associated with the TVT operation and high?7-year postoperative cure rates make the TVT operation a recommendable surgical treatment for female stress urinary incontinence," concluded the researchers.