Midurethral slings in the mesh litigation era

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) has always been a major health issue for women. With the progression of technology and surgical techniques, mid urethral slings (MUS) used in both transvaginal and transobturator routes have become the gold standard in the treatment of SUI. There is ample short to mid-term data confirming the efficacy and safety in using MUS in treating SUI in women. However, long-term data supporting the use of MUS in women to treat SUI is scarce. There has been much controversy surrounding the US Food and Drug Administrations' (FDA) public notification of potential complications surrounding the use of transvaginal mesh, which has been magnified and generalised by the media; but despite this there has still been substantial growth and uptake of MUS for treating SUI. In this review, we aim to explore some of the issues with MUS, the factors around litigation with mesh use, the impact of FDA's notification on the uptake of MUS and ultimately, the results and efficacy of MUS for the treatment of SUI.