The expectations of patients who undergo surgery for stress incontinence

The purpose of this study was to assess patient expectations of surgical outcome after preoperative counseling of surgical procedures in a randomized trial of 655 women in a comparison of the rectus fascial sling and Burch colposuspension.

Women who selected surgery for treating stress incontinence and who consented to this randomized, surgical trial completed a preoperative questionnaire to assess expectations for the postsurgical effects of surgery on urinary incontinence-related symptoms, limitations, and emotions. Associations of expectations with a range of preoperative urinary incontinence measures were explored.

The most frequent preoperative symptoms were urine leakage (98%), embarrassment (88%), frequency (74%), physical activity (72%), and urgency (70%). Sexual and social limitations were less frequent (< or = 44%). Treatment expectations were higher for women who reported more symptom bother. As expected, most women (98%) had an expectation that urine leakage would be completely or almost completely eliminated. However, most women (92%) who reported urgency or frequency (83%) expected significant improvement of these symptoms after surgery.

Patients who undergo stress incontinence surgery have high expectations regarding the outcome of incontinence surgery, which include the resolution of urgency and frequency.