Abstract
Bowel perforation is a rare complication of mid-urethral sling procedures and is usually reported shortly after the surgery. We report a remotely discovered asymptomatic bowel injury found at the time of subsequent surgery. The patient with a history of several prior pelvic surgeries underwent an uneventful retropubic mid-urethral sling placement. Five years later, during an abdominal sacrocolpopexy procedure, mesh from the mid-urethral sling was found perforating the wall of the cecum and fixating it to the right pelvic sidewall. Cecal wedge resection was performed to excise the sling mesh. Asymptomatic bowel perforation by mid-urethral sling mesh has not been previously reported. Pelvic and abdominal surgeons should be aware of the possibility of finding this injury in patients with prior sling surgeries.
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Abbreviations
- BMI:
-
Body mass index
- CT:
-
Computed tomography
- GIA:
-
Gastrointestinal anastomosis
- TVT:
-
Tension-free vaginal tape
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The authors gratefully acknowledge the photographic assistance of Crystal Berthelette.
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Elliott, J.E., Maslow, K.D. Remote discovery of an asymptomatic bowel perforation by a mid-urethral sling. Int Urogynecol J 23, 243–245 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-011-1510-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-011-1510-4