Female Urinary Incontinence Surgeries Go Head-to-Head

One expert believes the study will help doctors and patients in choosing which procedure is best for them.

"Incontinence is fixable," said Dr. John Lavelle, the director of urophysiology at the University of North Carolina. "At least half the patients will be symptom-free after treatment," he said.

Based on this study, patients will most likely opt for the sling, Lavelle said. "There is no answer about whether the mesh sling is better or worse than the tissue sling, although more women seem to be opting for the mesh sling," he said.

Lavelle agreed that treating incontinence can improve sexual function. "A lot of women will tend not to have intercourse with their partner, because they are afraid of being wet," he said. "So, when they are fixed and they are dry, they probably resume sexual activity," he added.

---

---

In another presentation scheduled for the same meeting, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine used stem cells to treat women with stress urinary incontinence. The procedure strengthened patients' sphincter muscles, providing them with long-term improvement.

Of the eight women in the trial, five reported improvement in bladder control and quality of life with no serious short- or long-term adverse effects one year after treatment.

"This clinical trial is extremely encouraging, given that 13 million people in the United States, most of them women, cope with stress urinary incontinence," lead researcher Dr. Michael B. Chancellor, a professor of urology and gynecology, said in a prepared statement. "We're demonstrating for the first time that we may be able to offer people with stress urinary incontinence a long-term and minimally invasive treatment option."

More information

Learn more about urinary incontinence at the American Academy of Family Physicians.