Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2026
Quantification of Levator Ani Hiatus Enlargement by Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Males and Females with Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Published on: April 17, 2019
Dramatic increase (1997-2007) in the number of procedures for stress urinary incontinence in Belgium
Hendrik Cammu1, Freya Saeys, Patrick Haentjens
1Division of Uro-gynaecology, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. hendrik.cammu@uzbrussel.be
Introduction And Hypothesis:
We wondered if the tension-free vaginal tape approach, introduced in 1998, influenced the rate of anti-incontinence surgery.
Methods:
We determined the rates of anti-incontinence surgery in Belgium between 1997 and 2007, using the Belgian National Health Insurance Fund register covering the entire adult female population of nearly 4,420,000 women in Belgium.
Results:
The rate per 1,000 women of anti-incontinence surgery increased from 0.54 in 1997 to 2.03 in 2004, after which a plateau was reached (2.01 in 2007). This nearly fourfold increase coincided with the introduction in 1998 on the Belgian market of the tension-free vaginal tape (+66% more interventions between 1998 and 2001). After the introduction of the transobturator tape in 2001, the rate increased even more dramatically (+118% between 2001 and 2004).
Conclusions:
Rates of anti-incontinence surgery increased by 272% in Belgium between 1997 and 2007. This increase coincided with the availability of tension-free mesh sling operations.
