Patient goals after incontinence procedures: does the single-incision sling satisfy them?

This study was undertaken to describe short-term postoperative achievement of subjective preoperative goals for single-incision MiniArc slings, in comparison with tension-free vaginal tape (TVT).

Patients submitted to mid-urethral sling (TVT and MiniArc) procedures for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in two centers were included in this prospective study. Before surgery, the patients completed a preoperative open-ended questionnaire, in which they described their personal outcomes goals for SUI surgery and the degree of severity of their symptoms. At the first postoperative check, they were asked to assess the degree to which their goals had been met and the degree of postoperative incontinence symptoms; their grade of satisfaction was evaluated with IIQ-7, UDI-6 and a 0-10 visual analog scale.

One hundred and eight patients (TVT n=51, MiniArc n=57) were included in this study. Incontinence symptom relief and improvement of quality of life were the most commonly described preoperative goals. Six to eight weeks after surgery, 47 patients (92.1%) after TVT and 53 (92.9%) women after single-incision slings were objectively cured (P=1). After surgery, more than 90% of the patients in both groups achieved their preoperative goals. Symptom scores improved significantly and were comparable in both groups.

Our results show that self-reported achievement of preoperative goals of patients submitted to single-incision slings are comparable at the first follow-up with patients who have undergone the classic mid-urethral sling.