Vaginal wall sling

Abstract

We describe a new technique for the treatment of urinary incontinence due to intrinsic sphincteric damage in which a sling constructed from vaginal wall is used to provide compression and support of the urethra. A rectangular island of in situ anterior vaginal wall underlying the urethra and bladder neck is developed, the 4 corners are anchored with polypropylene sutures and a ligature carrier is used to transfer the sutures to a suprapubic location. An anterior vaginal wall flap proximal to the island is advanced to cover the island. When the sutures are tied the resulting sling will support the urethra and increase urethral resistance by compression, restoring continence. The advantages are its simplicity, need for only a small incision, short operative time and hospital stay, and reliance on healthy, well vascularized, in situ tissue. Continence has been achieved in 29 of 32 cases. All patients voided spontaneously except for those with neuropathic urethral incompetence who required self-catheterization.