[Minimally invasive surgery in women with recurrent stress urinary incontinence]

Evaluate the efficacy and safety of minimally invasive surgical techniques as second procedure in recurrent stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

We retrospectively analyzed data on patients submitted to this type of surgery after previous surgery failure, since September 2002 to December 2006. Several parameters were evaluated: women's age, symptoms, previous surgery, urodynamics results, procedure technique, complications at short (two months) and medium term (one year) results.

Of the 73 analyzed cases, 57 patients had been submitted previously to classic surgery and 16 to minimally invasive surgery. In surgery for recurrent SUI using minimally invasive techniques eight complications were registered (five vaginal perforations, two bladder lacerations and one femoral vein laceration); post-op complications occurred in 13 cases (three urinary retentions, two urinary tract infections, one anaemia and seven vaginal sling erosions). Short-term cure, improvement and failure rates were 69.9%, 28.8% and 1.4%, respectively. At medium term, these rates were of 54.8%, 41.1% and 4.1%, respectively.

Minimally invasive surgery for recurrent SUI is a valid option after previous surgery failure, given the low morbidity and reduced failure rate at short and medium term.