Is the role of Burch colposuspension fading away in this epoch for treating female urinary incontinence?

The role of Burch colposuspension as the primary surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence has been challenged by less invasive new surgical methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term results of Burch colposuspension in terms of subjective self-reported outcomes. Between 1993 and 1997, 159 women who underwent Burch colposuspension as the first operation for treating urodynamic stress incontinence were recruited for this study. We recorded the findings of preoperative and postoperative urodynamic studies and early postoperative complications or adverse effects related to the operation. In 2005, after a median follow-up of 10 years, telephone interviews were carried out and 152 (95.5%) women responded. Two main questions were asked of these women to evaluate the overall impression of improvement after the operation. Eighty-four (55.3%) women were dry according to their subjective reports, 55 (36.2%) women had improved, and 13 (8.5%) women had failed after an 8- to 12-year follow-up. One hundred and twenty-five (82.2%) women were satisfied with the outcome of the operation and 27 (17.8%) women were not. Among these 27 women, 16 (59.2%) women complained of urinary frequency and 9 (33.3%) women complained of urinary urgency as the reasons for their dissatisfaction. Our long-term subjective outcomes revealed that Burch colposuspension is an effective alternative surgery for urodynamic proven stress incontinence.