Published in:
01-05-2015 | Review Article
Efficacy and perioperative safety of synthetic mid-urethral slings in obese women with stress urinary incontinence
Published in: International Urogynecology Journal | Issue 5/2015
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Introduction and hypothesis
Obesity is associated with an increased prevalence of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Mid-urethral polypropylene sling is considered the surgical gold standard for treatment of SUI. We reviewed the current literature on efficacy at 1 year (or more) and perioperative safety of synthetic mid-urethral sling procedures for SUI in obese women.
Methods
A systematic search of PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane databases was performed using the MeSH terms “Stress urinary incontinence”, “Overweight”, “Obesity” and “Surgery”. We included 13 full-text papers published from January 1995 to May 2014. We defined two groups of women: non-obese (BMI below 30 kg/m2) and obese (BMI above 30 kg/m2). Data regarding subjective and objective cure and selected perioperative complications were pooled and compared.
Results
The pooled data from the 13 studies showed that 76.4 % and 74.7 % of non-obese and obese women, respectively, were subjectively cured (p = 0.70), and 83.3 % and 79.2 %, respectively, were objectively cured (p = 0.56). Bladder perforation was more frequently reported in non-obese women (p < 0.01). We did not detect a significant difference in postoperative urine retention or sling excision between the two groups (p = 0.36 and p = 0.17, respectively).
Conclusions
Cure rates were found to be comparable in obese and non-obese women. Perioperative complications were not reported to occur more often in obese women. The outcomes of sling procedures for SUI appear to be comparable in obese and non-obese women, and counselling of obese women regarding outcomes and perioperative complications can be similar.