Anxiety Symptoms Before and After Single-Incision Mini-Sling Surgery in Women With Stress Urinary Incontinence: A...

Area of Science:

• Urogynecology
• Mental Health
• Surgical Outcomes

Background:

• Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) significantly impacts women's quality of life, often coexisting with psychological distress such as anxiety.
• The psychological burden of SUI necessitates evaluation of treatment modalities that address both physical and mental health aspects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effect of single-incision mini-sling (SIMS) surgery on anxiety symptoms in women with moderate to severe SUI.
• To evaluate the correlation between surgical outcomes for SUI and changes in anxiety levels.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cohort study involving 43 women with SUI or mixed urinary incontinence (MUI) undergoing SIMS.
• Preoperative and 3-month postoperative assessments included the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), ICIQ, FLUTS, and PGI-I/PGI-S.
• Exclusion criteria included prior incontinence surgery, pelvic organ prolapse, and current use of psychotropic medications.

Main Results:

• 93% of participants achieved continence postoperatively.
• Mean total STAI scores decreased significantly from 50.6 to 45.8 (P < 0.001).
• Women with moderate SUI showed a greater proportion achieving normal anxiety levels compared to those with severe SUI (P = 0.011).

Conclusions:

• SIMS surgery demonstrates high efficacy in achieving continence and significantly reduces anxiety symptoms in women with SUI at three months.
• The study underscores the psychological impact of urinary incontinence and advocates for integrating mental health assessments into urogynecologic care.
• Preoperative anxiety screening and perioperative counseling are recommended for patients undergoing incontinence surgery.