Partner dyspareunia--a report of six cases

One of the rarely cited complications of the use of alloplastic materials in pelvic floor surgery is dyspareunia of the partner caused by prominence or vaginal exposure of the sling material. Even though this entity is real and an important problem, it is rarely reported in literature. We report six cases of partner dyspareunia, in which there were two incidences of partner penile injury, occurring as a complication of synthetic midurethral sling surgery. There were three tension-free vaginal tapes, two transobturator tapes and one anterior intravaginal sling in the series. Time interval between tape insertion and the presentation of complications ranged from 3 to 48 months. Vaginal exposure was seen in five of the six cases and in one patient prominence of sling material without exposure was noted. Recognizing partner dyspareunia as an important complication of the vaginal use of alloplastic prosthesis is not only important in preoperative counseling of patients but also to avoid legal implications.