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Avoiding and Managing Complications of Synthetic Midurethral Slings

  • Stress Incontinence and Prolapse (R Dmochowski, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Synthetic midurethral slings have become the most popular and efficacious surgical intervention for women suffering from urinary stress incontinence. They include retropubic, transobturator, and single-incision slings. Numerous studies have demonstrated that these procedures are minimally invasive with a very low morbidity. The most common complications include bladder perforation, mesh erosion, and voiding dysfunction, which can usually be appropriately managed without any significant long-term sequelae. Pain and dyspareunia will occur in a small percentage of women for a variety of reasons that will be discussed. Life-threatening complications such as vascular or bowel injury have been reported as rare complications of retropubic synthetic midurethral slings.

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Conflict of Interest

Mickey Karram declares that he is part of the speaker’s bureau for AMS and a consultant for both AMS and Ethicon.

Elizabeth Timbrook Brown declares that she has no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Correspondence to Mickey Karram.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Stress Incontinence and Prolapse

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Karram, M., Brown, E.T. Avoiding and Managing Complications of Synthetic Midurethral Slings. Curr Bladder Dysfunct Rep 10, 64–70 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11884-015-0288-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11884-015-0288-5

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