Impact of transobturator vaginal tape on female stress urinary incontinence and sexual function

Objective To evaluate the effect of vaginal transobturator tape (TOT) on female stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and sexual function. Patients and methods In all, 145 patients with SUI underwent TOT repair using the 'outside-in' technique. All patients had been sexually active in the previous 6 months. Patients were evaluated by history, routine laboratory investigations, cough stress test, abdominopelvic ultrasonography, and full urodynamic studies. The preoperative data assessed included: age, parity, body mass index, menopausal status, and Stamey grade of SUI. The intraoperative data assessed included: operative time, blood loss, and hospital stay; intra- and postoperative complications were also assessed. At 2 weeks after discharge, patients were followed-up with a routine examination and cough stress test. After 6 months' patients were assessed by urodynamic studies, maximum urinary flow rate, post-void residual urine volume. The following questionnaires were completed before and at 6 months after TOT insertion: International Consultation of Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF), Urogenital Distress Inventory-Short Form (UDI-6), and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Results All sociodemographic data of the 145 patients were collected. According to ICIQ-SF scores, 122 patients were cured, 19 had improved, and four failed. There were significant improvements in the UDI-6 and FSFI scores, indicating that the women had significant improvement in their sexual life. There were six cases of urinary tract infection, five cases had a fever, and eight patients complained of groin or thigh pain postoperatively. Conclusions Correction of SUI using TOT appears to have a positive effect on female sexual function.