[Long-term results of Burch's cervico-cystopexy. Apropos of 40 cases]

Forty patients with stress urinary incontinence, treated between April 1982 and June 1988 according to Burch's technique, were reviewed. 24 (60%) successes, 8 (20%) major improvements and 8 (20%) failures were recorded with a mean follow-up of 85 months. Compared to the early postoperative findings, a marked deterioration in urinary continence was observed in 4 cases (10%). These results are in contrast with earlier papers reporting remarkable stability of the therapeutic performance of this type of cervicocystopexy. Although too brief to allow reliable statistical analysis, this series simply draws attention to the hypothetical long-term efficacy of Burch's operation.