Women living with a midurethral sling in their 80s: long-term outcomes

Surgical outcomes of elderly women who have been treated using midurethral slings could be influenced by confounding factors, such as age-related comorbidities. Aim of this study is to assess elderly patients (>75 years) who underwent a transobturator sling procedure with a follow-up of at least 13 years.

This is a prospective follow-up observational study including elderly women of current age ≥ 75 years old who underwent TVT-O placement at least 13 years prior to the study period. Main outcome measures were the objective and subjective cure rates at the follow-up visit. Secondary outcome measures included: patient-reported success rate, de novo urgency symptoms rate, evaluation of other subjective parameters related to the lower urinary tract function, and assessment of the health-related quality of life.

Seventy-two out of 85 women (84.7%) meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were assessed at the follow-up visit. The mean follow-up period was 13.7 years (SD = 0.8). The overall objective and subjective cure rates were 80.5% (58 out of 72) and 84.7% (61 out of 72) respectively, whereas 9.7% of the patients (7 out of 72) reported being subjectively improved. The patient-reported success rate was 91.7% (66 out of 72). De novo urgency rate was 23.7% (9 out of 38), whereas 26.5% of the patients (9 out of 34) reported aggravation of preexisting urgency.

In women of advanced age, the TVT-O procedure is a highly effective and long-lasting treatment. The safety profile of the TVT-O was not influenced by geriatric conditions, whereas the long-term presence of a polypropylene sling did not appear to trigger the onset of medical disorders.