An Unusual Complication of Retropubic Midurethral Sling Placement: Obturator Neuralgia

Midurethral sling placement is a common treatment for female stress urinary incontinence. We report a case of a woman with a 9-month history of significant pelvic and right lower extremity pain following synthetic retropubic sling placement at an outside facility. On evaluation, she had unilateral obturator neuropathy and underwent combined vaginal, and robotic excision of the right arm of the sling. During surgery, the sling was adherent to the obturator nerve and passed laterally through the obturator fossa. Following removal, her pain completely resolved. This case highlights strategies for preventing, diagnosing, and managing an unusual complication of retropubic sling placement, obturator neuralgia.