[T.V.T. (tension-free vaginal tape). New surgical technique in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence]

To describe the tension-free vaginal tape procedure (TVT) for treatment of female stress urinary incontinence and the short-term results.From November 1998 to May 1999, the TVT procedure was performed in 20 patients with genuine stress urinary incontinence. All patients had a bladder catheter for 24 hours after surgery. Only one patient required intermittent catheterization for one month due to high quantities of post-void residual urine. There were no intraoperative complications. Early postoperatively one patient presented a hematoma in the posterior rectal aspect which was managed conservatively. At 4.5 months mean follow-up, 95% of the patients are continent and one is incontinent due to incorrect positioning of the prolene band.Although the initial results appear to be encouraging, further studies are warranted to determine the long-term efficacy of this technique.