The basic understanding and clinical results of tension-free vaginal tape for stress urinary incontinence

Since 1994, over 100,000 surgical reconstructions of the female lower urinary tract have been performed worldwide using tension-free vaginal tape (TVT). This technique, which differs from traditional methods, is effective against symptoms of stress urinary incontinence and may be performed as an ambulatory procedure with no need of indwelling catheterization. The primary indication is genuine stress incontinence, but it is also effective as a secondary procedure for relapse after other anti-incontinence measures such as the Burch procedure. The TVT operation was developed according to study results on the mechanisms of urethral closure in women and has become the primary surgical procedure at several Scandinavian clinics for combating genuine stress incontinence in women. It is also useful in reducing symptoms after prolapse repair for combined prolapse and stress incontinence and in cases of mixed stress and urge ("sensory") incontinence. The small incisions and canals involved with the TVT technique minimize surgical trauma and enable it to be performed under local anesthesia. By the same token, it makes fairly small demands on postoperative care and attendant costs. Here we describe the instrumentation, procedure, and risks of this minimally invasive operative technique.