Short-term efficacy and complications of posterior intravaginal slingplasty

This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and complications of the posterior intravaginal slingplasty (IVS). A retrospective chart review was performed. Ninety IVS procedures were performed from January 2004 to June 2005. The group consisted of predominantly nonsmoking, Caucasian, postmenopausal women with a median age of 62 years and a median parity of 3. The mean follow-up was 33 +/- 23.2 weeks with a median of 31.9 weeks. There were no intraoperative bladder, bowel, or vascular injuries. Overall, 11 out of 90 patients developed recurrent or de novo prolapse; 4.4% of these had recurrent apical prolapse. There was a 17.8% incidence of mesh erosion. Only 1 of the 11 patients with recurrent prolapse had concomitant mesh erosion. The procedure demonstrated an unacceptably high erosion rate. The adoption of newer mesh techniques based on the slingplasty concept or the use of the multifilament polypropylene tape should be scrutinized.