Laparoscopic colposuspension versus vaginal suburethral slingplasty: a randomised prospective trial. Functional results after the suburethral sling procedure for urinary stress incontinence: a prospective randomized multicentre study comparing the retropubic and transobturator routes. Suburethral slingplasty evaluation study in North Queensland, Australia: the SUSPEND trial. Comparison of Burch and lyodura sling procedures for repair of unsuccessful incontinence surgery. Comparison of pubovaginal sling and burch colposuspension procedures in type I/II genuine stress incontinence. Comparative results of two techniques to treat stress urinary incontinence: synthetic transobturator and aponeurotic slings. Comparison of the efficacy of Burch colposuspension, pubovaginal sling, and tension-free vaginal tape for stress urinary incontinence. A prospective randomized study comparing modified Burch retropubic urethropexy and suburethral sling for treatment of genuine stress incontinence with low-pressure urethra. Randomized comparison of the suprapubic arc sling procedure vs tension-free vaginal taping for stress incontinent women. Autologous fascial sling vs polypropylene tape at short-term followup: a prospective randomized study. A randomized controlled trial of pubovaginal sling versus vaginal wall sling for stress urinary incontinence. A midurethral sling to reduce incontinence after vaginal prolapse repair. A randomised controlled trial comparing two autologous fascial sling techniques for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women: short, medium and long-term follow-up. Use of slings made of indigenous and allogenic material (Goretex) in type III urinary incontinence and comparison between them. Prospective randomized comparison of transobturator suburethral sling (Monarc) vs suprapubic arc (Sparc) sling procedures for female urodynamic stress incontinence. Randomized prospective comparison of needle colposuspension versus endopelvic fascia plication for potential stress incontinence prophylaxis in women undergoing vaginal reconstruction for stage III or IV pelvic organ prolapse. The Continence Program for Women Research Group. Cadaveric fascia lata versus intravaginal slingplasty for the pubovaginal sling: surgical outcome, overall success and patient satisfaction rates. Randomized clinical trial comparing suprapubic arch sling (SPARC) and tension-free vaginal tape (TVT): one-year results.
This study aimed to determine if laparoscopic colposuspension (LC) was as effective as vaginal suburethral slingplasty (SPARC).
                Ninety-seven women with urodynamic stress incontinence were prospectively randomised to LC (n=48) or SPARC (n=49). Outcome measures were measured at, baseline, six months (n=87) and two years (n=58), and comprised leakage episodes per week and visual analogue scale (VAS) of incontinence severity. The LC and SPARC groups at baseline had similar leaks per week (8.8 vs 9.8) and VAS (5.6 vs 5.9).
                Laparoscopic colposuspension took longer to perform (48 vs 30 mins, P<0.001), had a slightly higher blood loss (104 vs 82 mL, P<0.01), had a longer hospitalisation (4.0 vs 1.5 days, P<0.001) and had a longer time to resumption of normal activities (3.6 vs 2.8 week, P<0.01). At six months there were no significant differences between LC and SPARC with regard to leaks per week (1.1 vs 2.6) and VAS (1.3 vs 0.7). The success rates were similar (88.3 vs 81.8%). These results again had no significant differences at two years (leaks per week 2.1 vs 3.5, and VAS 1.7 vs 2.2). At two years, the cure/improved rates again found no significant difference (81.5 vs 77.4%)
                Laparoscopic colposuspension is as effective as vaginal suburethral slingplasty after two years' follow-up. To compare short-term functional outcomes, urodynamic parameters, and quality of life of transobturator and retropubic routes in the cure of urinary stress incontinence.
                This prospective, multicentre study involved 88 women undergoing suburethral sling procedure for stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The retropubic route (RPR) and the transobturator route (TOR) were used in 42 and 46 women, respectively. No difference in epidemiologic and preoperative urinary functional status (SUI stage, and pollakiuria, nocturia, and urgency rates) was found between the groups. Functional results and quality of life were evaluated before surgery and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 mo postoperatively. Urodynamic examinations were performed before and 3 mo after surgery.
                The mean follow-up was 10 mo. No difference in the rate of de novo urge incontinence and immediate and late voiding dysfunction was noted between the groups. No difference in the cure rate was observed between the groups (89.3% in the RPR group and 88.6% in the TOR group). RPR was associated with a significant decrease in maximum urinary flow and an increase in residual urine volume. Quality of life was significantly improved after surgery without difference between the groups.
                Retropubic and transobturator routes for treatment of female SUI have similar high cure rates and quality of life improvement. Because of advantages in the rate of complications and postoperative pain previously demonstrated on the same population, the transobturator route appears to be the best option for the treatment of urinary incontinence. To compare the safety and efficacy of three types of suburethral slings for the treatment of urodynamic stress incontinence.
                Following ethics approval, 195 (3 x 65) patients with urodynamic stress incontinence were randomly assigned to undergo suburethral slingplasty with the Tension-free Vaginal Tape (TVT; Gynecare, Ethicon, Somerville, NJ, USA), Intravaginal Sling (IVS; Tyco Healthcare, Mansfield, MA, USA), or Suprapubic Arc Sling (SPARC; American Medical Systems, Minnetonka, MN, USA). The patients were blinded to the type of sling implanted. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES WERE: (1) operative and short-term complications; (2) pre- and postoperative symptomatology; and (3) pre- and postoperative urodynamic findings.
                There was a statistically significant increased rate of sling protrusion (13.1% vs. 3.3% and 1.7%; P = 0.04) in the SPARC group when compared to TVT and IVS. Otherwise, there were no significant differences between the groups with respect to the incidences of other operative complications, patients' main subjective outcomes, satisfaction rates, or postoperative urodynamic findings. The overall objective stress incontinence cure rates were 87.9%, 81.5% and 72.4% for the TVT, IVS, SPARC groups respectively (P = 0.11).
                All three slings appear quite successful for the treatment of stress incontinence. The SPARC tapes showed more sling protrusion complications and a trend towards lower objective cure rates; probably as a result of the insertion method used in this study which favoured a loose SPARC sling placement. The authors recommend that the SPARC slings be left tighter than TVT, or for the cough test to be carried out. To assess the effectiveness and late postoperative morbidity of the Burch procedure and the sling procedure for the treatment of recurrent urinary stress incontinence after vaginal hysterectomy and anterior repair.
                Clinical, urodynamic, and sonographic examinations were done on 77 women suffering with recurrent urinary stress incontinence. The women were randomized to two groups, modified Burch colposuspension and lyophilized dura mater sling surgery; 72 women were reexamined 32-48 months after these procedures.
                The cure rate at 32-48 months' follow-up was 86% for the Burch procedure and 92% for the sling. Women who had had the sling procedure demonstrated a clear decrease in maximal bladder capacity, from 330 to 240 mL (P < .05). In both groups, stress profiles demonstrated a shift of maximal pressure point toward the proximal urethra and a significant improvement in pressure transmission (P < .05). The post-operative patients who had persistent incontinence were found to have insufficient elevation of the bladder neck (less than 10 mm). The uroflow examination showed an increase of urination time in both groups. The incidence of bladder problems was 10% with the Burch procedure and 29% with the sling procedure; however, 13% of the Burch group developed rectoceles.
                Both procedures offer a high rate of success. We believe that the sling surgery should be used only in certain special cases because of its higher rate of complications, but that posterior vaginal repair should be considered after modified Burch colposuspension because of the possibility of rectocele and enterocele. We compared morbidity and success rate of pubovaginal sling with Burch colposuspension operations in Type I/type II genuine stress urinary incontinence (GSI). The study included patients who had no preoperative detrusor instability (DI), no recurrent GSI, no severe pelvic prolapsus and whose Valsalva leak point pressure (VLPP) values were higher than 90 cm water. Twenty three of free-rectus fascial sling and 23 of Burch colposuspension operations were performed randomly on the patients by a single surgeon. There was no statistical difference between patients in terms of age, BMI, parity, number of daily pads used and preoperative bladder neck mobility. Operation time, change in hematocrit, spontaneous voiding time, length of hospitalization and urinary infection were not different in 2 procedures. 17 patients from both groups could be compared after one year. The bladder neck mobility of both groups were similar. One surgical failure, 1 DI, 1 severe cystocele and 1 enterocele were found in the Burch group while only 1 DI was found in the pubovaginal sling group. When pubovaginal sling operation was performed as the primary surgery on the patients with type I/II GSI, the morbidity, complications and 1 year success rate are the same as Burch procedure. This study aims to analyze comparatively the efficacy and safety of synthetic transobturatory and aponeurotic retropubic slings, in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in women.
                Patients were separated in a randomized way. Twenty-one patients were submitted to the operatory correction by the transobturatory sling technique, whereas 20 patients were operated by the retropubic sling technique. All patients were submitted to complete physical exam and urodynamic test. The "T" test and the Mann-Whitney U test were applied to establish comparisons between the two groups. Patients were followed-up for 12 months.
                Healing rate was 90.5% (19/21) and 95% (19/20), respectively after 12 months. The transobturatory group presented lesser complications rate than the retropubic group.
                The transobturatory and the aponeurotic slings techniques were equally effective for the treatment of SUI. The transobturatory sling has shown fewer complications and lesser surgical time than the aponeurotic sling technique. To compare the cure rate and confirm the clinical efficacy of the 3 most frequently performed surgical procedures for stress urinary incontinence (SUI).
                Between January 2001 and May 2003, 92 women with SUI were randomly assigned to undergo the Burch colposuspension (n=33), pubovaginal sling (n=28), or tension-free vaginal tape (n=31) at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yonsei Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Patient characteristics, urodynamic study results, cure rates at 3, 6, and 12 months, and complication rates were compared using the chi2 test.
                There were no statistically significant differences in the cure rates initially, but after 12 months the cure rate of the pubovaginal sling procedure was found to be significantly higher than those of the tension-free vaginal tape or Burch colposuspension procedures.
                The cure rate of the pubovaginal sling procedure was significantly higher after 1 year, but no difference in efficacy was observed between the 2 other procedures. A randomized prospective study of a larger population should be conducted. The aim of this study was to compare a modified Burch procedure with a suburethral sling for the treatment of stress incontinence complicated by a low-pressure urethra.
                Thirty-six women with stress incontinence, low-pressure urethra, and urethral hypermobility (straining cotton swab angle >/=30 degrees ) were randomly assigned to undergo either a modified Burch procedure (n = 19) or a suburethral sling (n = 17). Objective and subjective cure rates at 3 months after the operation were the primary outcome measures. Comparisons of group means were performed with the Student t test for independent groups, and proportions were compared with the Fisher exact test.
                After the operation the 2 groups had statistically similar cure rates and voiding function. Urethral closure pressure, pressure transmission ratios, and maximum detrusor pressure during voiding were significantly higher in the sling group.
                At 3 months there were no clinically significant differences between the groups treated with suburethral sling and modified Burch procedures. The purpose of this study was to compare the surgical outcome and attendant complications of the suprapubic arc (SPARC) sling and tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) procedures. Sixty-two women with genuine stress incontinence (GSI) alone or combined with pelvic prolapse less than International Continence Society (ICS) stage II were randomly allocated to either SPARC or TVT groups. A routine suprapubic ultrasonography was performed for all patients 1 day after the anti-incontinence operation. A comparison of the peri- and postoperative results comprising surgical outcomes and complications revealed no significant differences between the two groups. Although the difference in the rates of bladder injury was not statistically significant (SPARC 12.9 vs TVT 0.0%, p = 0.112), it was clinically significant. Routine suprapubic ultrasonography revealed eight subjects had retropubic hematomas greater than 5 cm. The cure rate for SPARC was not significantly different from TVT (80.7 vs 87.1%, p = 0.706). We concluded that the SPARC sling and TVT procedures proved to be equally effective. Subsequent suprapubic ultrasonography, in particular for the symptomatic patients, was found to be of clinical merit. The incidence of urinary incontinence in women of childbearing age is about 30%. Around half have stress incontinence. Many treatment modalities have been elucidated to treat stress incontinence, and among the most popular are rectus fascia sling and tension-free vaginal tape (TVT). The introduction of TVT to the urological armamentarium put a multiplicity of synthetic materials into use in the correction of stress urinary incontinence. A comparison of the impact of these 2 commonly used techniques is needed.
                A total of 53 female patients older than 21 years (mean age 45.09) were randomized, using closed envelopes, to undergo TVT or rectus fascia sling. Randomization was performed after patients received spinal anesthesia. One surgeon performed the 2 types of treatment. Associated grade 2 cystocele was simultaneously corrected. Patients with bladder or urethral pathology, as well as those with cystocele greater than grade 2, were excluded from analysis.
                All 53 patients completed 6 months of followup and all had stress urinary incontinence. There were 15 patients who underwent sling surgery and 17 who underwent TVT who had concomitant grade 1 or 2 cystocele. No statistically significant difference was found between the 2 groups at baseline. Cure was accomplished in 23 of 25 (92%) with sling and in 26 of 28 (92.9%) with TVT at first followup visit (1 week). There were 7 patients who needed at least 1 extra week of catheterization in the sling group and 3 in the TVT group. No significant difference was detected in terms of post-void residual urine, symptom score, and filling and voiding parameters. At 6 months 1 patient had de novo detrusor overactivity and 7 had wound pain. Compared to those with TVT, 2 cases of sling were considered treatment failures, none had de novo overactivity and 2 had wound pain. None of the patients had symptoms suggestive of urethral erosion.
                Rectus fascia sling and TVT seem to be equally effective regarding primary outcome measure (ie cure of stress incontinence). Symptom score related to incontinence surgery as well as simultaneous correction of cystocele are comparable in the 2 groups. Fascial sling is a longer treatment process yet it is more economical. Longer followup is vital before rigorous conclusions can be drawn. To compare the results of Pubovaginal sling and Vaginal wall sling for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in females.
                Between February 2001 and December 2001, a randomized controlled trial was done to compare safety and efficacy of pubovaginal sling versus vaginal wall sling in the management of women with urinary incontinence. Fifteen women 42-68 years old (mean age 51.3 years) were treated with fascial sling (group A) and 11 women 45-60 years old (mean age 50.4 years) with vaginal wall sling (group B). Twenty-one patients had type II SUI and 5 patients had type III SUI (ISD); none had pre-operative detrusor instability. Measures of outcome included efficacy based on SEAPI-QMN, post-operative presence of stress or urge incontinence, frequency of complications, operative time, post-operative pain, length of hospitalization, length of clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) time and mean global evaluation.
                All patients were followed for at least 3 months after surgery (median 7 months). A total of 20 and 6 women received spinal and general anesthesia, respectively. SEAPI-QMN decreased from a median of 6.3 to 0.8 for group A and from 6.1 to 0.9 for group B. No patient in either group had persistent stress incontinence. Urge incontinence was present in 2 of group A patients and 1 of group B patients. No serious post-operative complications were encountered in both groups. Post-operative pain and operative times for group B patients were significantly lower than for group A patients. Length of hospitalization, length of CIC time and mean global evaluation were not significantly different between the two groups.
                In the short-term, both pubovaginal sling and vaginal wall slings were effective in the treatment of women with SUI. However, the use of vaginal wall sling resulted in significantly shorter operative times and lower post-operative pain compared with pubovaginal sling. Therefore, the vaginal wall sling should be the prefered treatment for SUI. Women without stress urinary incontinence undergoing vaginal surgery for pelvic-organ prolapse are at risk for postoperative urinary incontinence. A midurethral sling may be placed at the time of prolapse repair to reduce this risk.
                We performed a multicenter trial involving women without symptoms of stress incontinence and with anterior prolapse (of stage 2 or higher on a Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification system examination) who were planning to undergo vaginal prolapse surgery. Women were randomly assigned to receive either a midurethral sling or sham incisions during surgery. One primary end point was urinary incontinence or treatment for this condition at 3 months. The second primary end point was the presence of incontinence at 12 months, allowing for subsequent treatment for incontinence.
                Of the 337 women who underwent randomization, 327 (97%) completed follow-up at 1 year. At 3 months, the rate of urinary incontinence (or treatment) was 23.6% in the sling group and 49.4% in the sham group (P<0.001). At 12 months, urinary incontinence (allowing for subsequent treatment of incontinence) was present in 27.3% and 43.0% of patients in the sling and sham groups, respectively (P=0.002). The number needed to treat with a sling to prevent one case of urinary incontinence at 12 months was 6.3. The rate of bladder perforation was higher in the sling group than in the sham group (6.7% vs. 0%), as were rates of urinary tract infection (31.0% vs. 18.3%), major bleeding complications (3.1% vs. 0%), and incomplete bladder emptying 6 weeks after surgery (3.7% vs. 0%) (P≤0.05 for all comparisons).
                A prophylactic midurethral sling inserted during vaginal prolapse surgery resulted in a lower rate of urinary incontinence at 3 and 12 months but higher rates of adverse events. (Funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health; OPUS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00460434.). This randomised control trial compares full-length autologous slings (Group A: 81 women) with a modified "sling-on-a-string" (Group B: 84 women) technique for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Primary outcomes are quality of life (QoL) scores; Group A/Group B. The IIQ-7 scores decrease from 1.91/1.85 at baseline to 0.65/0.72 at 12 months and 0.85/0.92 at +5 years. The UDI-6 scores decrease from 1.85/1.61 at baseline to 0.66/0.62 at 12 months and 1.22/1.08 at +5 years. The incidence of SUI is 13% at 3 months but averages 53% at +5 years. Both techniques offer similar improvements. The shorter sling is quicker, less painful and with less hospital readmissions. The 'sling-on-a-string' technique is as effective as the standard technique with better short-term sequelae. The incidence of SUI post-autologous slings rises over the long term. To evaluate the use of Goretex pubovaginal sling and compare the results with a typical indigenous material graft made of rectal fascia.
                We have prospectively evaluated 48 consecutive patients in a randomized fashion in whom a sling procedure was performed to treat their type III incontinence. Sixteen women had a vesicourethral suspension (VUS) by a Goretex sling and another group of 32 patients, comparable in age range and medium age with the previous group, had a similar VUS by a sling from the rectus abdominis fascia. Both groups were evaluated urodynamically 6 and 30 months later.
                In the first group, cure of incontinence was observed in 87.5% and in the remaining patients it was significantly improved. In 2 patients there was an erosion of the urethra and the Goretex sling had to be removed 3.5 years later. Three other women remained dry but complained of occasional irritative symptoms. In the remaining 11 there was no erosion and the excellent postoperative result was maintained. In the group with fascial slings there was no erosion observed and in general they had less irritative symptoms. Cure or improvement of incontinence was comparable with the first group when studied 6 months after surgery, but there was a significant difference in the 30 months postoperative evaluation.
                Use of a Goretex sling provides better long-term results even though it is associated with somewhat increased morbidity. The aims of this trial were to compare the attendant complications and postoperative voiding function of the Monarc and suprapubic arc (Sparc) suburethral sling procedures. This is the first article in English literature to compare different suburethral sling procedures using prosthesis of the same material and the same weave. Sixty women with urodynamic stress incontinence alone or combined with pelvic prolapse less than International Continence Society stage II were randomly allocated to either the Monarc or Sparc group. A comparison of the peri- and postoperative results comprising complications and symptoms of voiding function revealed no significant differences between the two groups in a follow-up ranged from 6 to 14 months (median, 9 months). However, the nonsignificant increase in tendency of inadvertent vaginal perforation and disability/pain of thigh (Monarc 12.9 vs Sparc 0.0%, p=0.112 and Monarc 12.9 vs Sparc 0.0%, p=0.112, respectively) has clinical significance. Based on the analyses of the comparison of Blaivas obstruction nomograms, postoperative voiding function was not significantly different between the two surgical groups. We concluded that Monarc and Sparc suburethral taping proved to be equally safe and posed no remarkable impact on voiding function in a short term postoperative follow up. However, intraoperative urethrocystoscopy is recommended for safety in both the Monarc and Sparc procedures. Severe prolapse may mask potential genuine stress urinary incontinence in women. Some have suggested that a suspending urethropexy be performed in women who have potential genuine stress incontinence demonstrated by barrier reduction of the prolapse preoperatively. Our aim was to compare outcomes after prolapse surgery that included a formal bladder neck suspension with those operations that did not.
                This prospective randomized clinical trial assigned 32 women with bladder neck hypermobility and stage III or IV pelvic organ prolapse to receive either a needle colposuspension or bladder neck endopelvic fascia plication as part of the vaginal reconstructive surgery. Twenty-nine subjects underwent detailed clinical, anatomic, urodynamic, and quality-of-life evaluations before and 6 weeks and 6 months after surgery; 23 completed urinary diary and quality-of-life evaluations after a mean of 2.9 years.
                Needle colposuspension increased short-term complications without providing additional protection from de novo stress incontinence. Barrier testing before surgery predicted urethral sphincteric resistance after surgery; however, such testing neither predicted a patient's function after surgery nor indicated the need for a suspending urethropexy. The combination of a needle colposuspension with a sacrospinous ligament suspension predisposed to the early development of support defects of the upper anterior vaginal segment and to failure of bladder neck support.
                Preoperative barrier testing in women with severe prolapse is not useful in identifying individuals who require a suspending urethropexy. Needle colposuspension increases short-term complications, lacks durability, and may predispose to early and severe recurrent anterior prolapse when performed with a sacrospinous ligament vault suspension. A wide variety of surgical procedures has been used to treat female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The purpose of this study was to compare cadaveric fascia lata (CFL) sling with intravaginal slingplasty (IVS) in the surgical treatment of SUI.
                One hundred and thirty-nine women with SUI were randomly assigned to either CFL sling (n = 67) or IVS (n = 72). Concomitant urinary urge incontinence was present in 49 patients (73%) in the CFL sling and 44 patients (61%) in the IVS group. Daily mean pad usage was 4.1 +/- 3.5 in the CFL sling and 2.9 +/- 1.7 in the IVS group. The objective cure rate was evaluated by the pad test, and patient satisfaction rate was assessed by a subjective questionnaire.
                The surgical results of both procedures with a follow-up 12 months were documented. The overall success rate was 79% in the CFL sling and 70.8% in the IVS (p = 0.261). In contrast patient satisfaction rates were 82 and 87.5%, respectively (p = 0.210). Comparison of the CFL sling with IVS showed persistent urinary urge incontinence in 67 and 25% (p = 0.0001) and de novo urinary urge incontinence in 22 and 6.9%, respectively (p = 0.009). The groups did not differ significantly with respect to intraoperative and postoperative complications.
                There is no statistical difference in the overall success, satisfaction and complication rates in either group. In our series, both procedures were found to be effective, durable and significantly improved quality of life in patients with SUI but long-term results are awaited.
                (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel. Suprapubic Arch sling (SPARC) has been initially presented as being comparable to Tension-free Vaginal Tape (TVT) without published trials. To test the safety and efficacy of this new product, we designed a prospective, randomized clinical trial with a minimum follow-up of 1 year.
                84 women presenting with Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) were randomly assigned to SPARC or TVT as a minimally invasive mid-urethral sling procedure. All patients were re-evaluated at 1, 6, and 12 months. Symptom assessment, Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ), physical examination, Uro-Dynamic Studies (UDS) and 1-hour pad test were repeated at 1-year follow-up.
                41 patients were randomized to SPARC and 43 to TVT. The two groups had similar baseline characteristics. Both procedures resulted in similar peri-operative complications: bladder perforation (24% vs. 23%), median estimated blood loss (0-50 ml), median hospital stay (1-night), post-operative analgesia, and persistent urinary retention necessitating tape resection (2 patients in each group). There were three other complications in the SPARC group: tape erosion, infected pelvic hematoma, and urinary tract infection. At 12 months, there was no statistically significant difference between SPARC and TVT, in terms of objective cure rates as determined by 1-hour pad test of less than two grams (83% vs. 95%; p< or =0.1; 12% difference, 95% CI: 25.4% to -1.4%) and subjective cure rates as determined by IIQ scores (49.9+/-25.6 vs. 45.3+/-18.4; p=0.46).
                At 1-year follow-up, there is no statistically significant difference between SPARC and TVT. Longer follow-up is needed to confirm these results.
Traditional slings seem to be as effective as minimally invasive slings, but had higher rates of adverse effects. This should be interpreted with some caution however, as the quality of evidence for the studies was variable, follow-up short and populations small, particularly for identifying complication rates. Tradional sling procedures appeared to confer a similar cure rate in comparison to open retropubic colposuspension, but the long term adverse event profile is still unclear. Reliable evidence to clarify whether or not traditional suburethral slings may be better or worse than other surgical or conservative management options is lacking.