An unusual late complication with tension-free vaginal tape (TVT): A case report

Stress urinary incontinence is a common problem affecting women's quality of life. The retropubic mid-urethral sling accounts for the majority of surgical interventions for stress incontinence. Complications of the procedure are rare. We present an unusual late complication with tension-free vaginal tape (TVT).

Two years after insertion of a TVT for stress incontinence, a patient noticed a foreign body intermittently exiting through her anus. Initial clinical examinations and investigations were unremarkable. Five years after insertion she represented with faecal matter in the vagina and a TVT erosion. Imaging confirmed a colo-vaginal fistula. She underwent a vaginal excision of the TVT but this did not cure her problem and she subsequently had a laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy. Thereafter she remained well and asymptomatic.

This case report describes an unusual late complication. It is likely that the left arm of the mesh entered the serosa of the sigmoid colon and eroded into it over time. Complications associated with TVT are rare, but when they occur they need to be recorded. Only surgeons who have experience and expertise in the procedure should perform it, such as subspecialty trained urogynaecologists.