Recent advances in tape slings for female urinary stress incontinence

Sling therapy is the enhanced surgical support of the urethra. In this article, the history of the use of slings for the surgical treatment of female urinary stress incontinence is reviewed, and the usual surgical routes for retropubic (transvaginal) or transobturator tape passage are described. The latest innovation in sling therapy is the use of minislings, which are short tape mesh implants inserted through a single vaginal incision; these slings may be placed in an office setting. Outcomes data are either lacking or suggest a considerable decrement of effectiveness of unstabilized minislings over full-length slings; however, the short-term efficacy of a stabilized, adjustable minisling is 97%. These results suggest benchmark effectiveness associated with full-length slings in a less invasive device that also has the capability of short-term adjustability.