Postoperative transvaginal tape mobilization in preventing voiding difficulty after tension-free vaginal tape procedures.

Abstract Introduction and hypothesis  The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of postoperative transvaginal tape mobilization (TM) in treating urinary retention after tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) procedures. Methods  A 3-0 Vicryl loop was made at the midpoint of the vaginal tape for tension adjustment. If urinary retention occurred postoperatively, TM was applied in the ward under local anesthesia. The TM procedure could be repeated until the patient voided well. Results  Of the 80 women, five (6.3%) patients who had to void with extreme strain or with urinary retention received TM on postoperative days 1∼3. It was successful immediately in four patients, and only one patient required repeated adjustment three times. None of these five patients had recurrent stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after tensioning off of the tape. Overall, 67 patients (84%) had been cured of SUI, and 13 (16%) patients had improvement of SUI 3 months after TVT operation. Conclusion  TM is efficacious in treating voiding difficulty after the TVT procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]