Short-, mid-, and long-term incontinence outcomes in women undergoing mid-urethral sling procedures: a retrospective...

The primary aim was to compare subjective treatment success among women in short-, mid-, and long-term follow-up after mid-urethral sling (MUS). Symptom severity, condition-specific quality of life (QOL), and patient satisfaction were also examined.

Women undergoing a primary MUS between 2001 and 2010 were identified by CPT code. Eligible subjects were mailed the Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6), Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire (PFIQ-7), Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I), and Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ). Follow-up intervals were short term (≤ 36 months), mid term (37-70 months), and long term (119-200 months). The primary outcome of treatment success was defined as responses of "not at all" or "somewhat" to both stress urinary incontinence (SUI) subscales on the UDI-6.

Of 896 respondents, 361 were assessed in the short-term (23.3 ± 7.2 months), 251 in the mid-term (49.8 ± 9.1 months), and 284 in the long-term group (147.9 ± 20.6 months). Treatment success was 75.4% in the short-, 62.3% in the mid-, and 67.0% in the long-term groups (p < 0.01). Logistic regression showed women with mid- and long-term follow-up were nearly half as likely as their short-term counterparts to report treatment success (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.36, 0.74). UDI-6 and PFIQ-7 scores differed significantly among the short-, mid- and long-term groups (p < 0.01). Patient satisfaction was similar, 83.3% in the short-, 76.6% in the mid-, and 78.2% in the long-term follow-up (p = 0.31).

Women with short-term follow-up had the highest subjective treatment success rates; mid- and long-term follow-up was lower, but sustained after 3 years. Symptom severity and impact on QOL were lowest in the short-term group. However, high satisfaction was noted across all groups.