Impact of Transobturator Tape Procedure on Quality of Life in Female Stress Urinary Incontinence

Abstract

Introduction: Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) is a highly prevalent condition in women. This condition is often associated with negative body image and reduced quality of life. Transobturator midurethral tape surgery is currently the most favored type of management. Several questionnaires are available to assess the impact of this surgery on quality of life. Materials and Methods: We studied 32 patients who underwent Transobturator Tape (TOT) procedure for SUI. All patients were administered the Norwegian female incontinence questionnaire for urinary incontinence pre and post-operatively. We studied only the quality of life aspects in this questionnaire. Results were analysed using Wilcoxon paired rank test. Results: Thirty two patients with a mean age of 45.97±8 years (33-65 years) were studied. The usage of incontinence pads per week following surgery markedly reduced from a mean of 3.16 to 0.41. Patients more often got involved in various social activities following surgery. The mean score improved from 2.88 to 0.25. In patients who avoided places and situations without easy availability of toilet, the mean score improved from 2.97 to 0.28 post operatively. The negative impact of urinary leakage on the patients vacation, family life, social life and sleep markedly reduced from a mean of 2.75 to 1.03 (p-value <0.001). Conclusion: Almost all patients had significant improvement in all the domains studied in the quality of life aspect of Norwegian female incontinence questionnaire for urinary incontinence. TOT surgery in SUI patients not only cures the patient of urinary incontinence but also significantly improves the quality of life

Keywords

• mid urethral sling
• social life
• surgical techniques