Which placement of the tension-free vaginal tape is more important for urinary continence: midurethral position or bladder neck? Consideration from a case report

Abstract

The tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) is a well-established surgical procedure for the treatment of female urinary stress incontinence. Midurethral position was thought not to be necessary to achieve continence. But in our study, a patient with stress urinary incontinence was treated with a TVT suburethral sling. The symptoms of stress urinary incontinence still exist after the TVT procedure. With physical treatment and anti-inflammatory treatment, no relief was found. At the 50-day follow-up, the symptoms of stress incontinence worsened. Transperineal three-dimensional ultrasound revealed that the sling migrated from the midurethra to the bladder neck. With adjustment of the sling, the symptom of stress incontinence was improved and no complication was observed at the 6- and 12-month follow-up. Sling migration should be considered in a patient who presents with recurrent stress incontinence at the earlier postoperative period. We think that the midurethral position is necessary to achieve continence.