Transobturator vaginal wall sling (Elgamasy technique) for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence: a pilot study

Background: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a common social problem that affect about 4–35% of adult women adult. There are multiple surgical options for treatment of SUI but midurethral slings are the most effective and durable form of treatment. In this study, transobturator vaginal sling (TOT-VS, Elgamasy technique) was used to overcome the unique risks associated with synthetic mesh placement, as well as the higher rate of voiding dysfunction and harvest site complications associated with pubovaginal sling placement. Objective: To assess the short-term outcome of transobturator vaginal wall sling (TOT-VS) for the treatment of SUI. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective study included 20 females who underwent TOT-VS placement for SUI from January 2021 to March 2022 at Tanta Urology Department–Tanta University Hospitals. Two-parallel longitudinal vaginal mucosal incisions were performed 2 cm below the bladder neck, and 6 × 2 cm graft was harvested from the anterior vaginal wall, with a prolene suture on each side and fixed around the urethra via the transobturator rout. Patients were followed in the outpatient clinic after one week, two weeks, 3, 6 months and one year postoperatively. Outcomes were measured subjectively by the Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (B-FLUTS) score comparing preoperative and postoperative scores and objectively by cough stress test. Results: The median age of patients was 42 years, and the median BMI was 30.0 kg/m2. The technique was performed, and the patient was discharged the next day after surgery. Mean operative time was 50.5 ± 9 min. All patients completed B-FLUTS at the last follow-up. Compared to preoperative scores, all patients showed significant improvement in all domains. Nineteen cases (95%) showed negative cough stress test 6 months postoperatively, and none of them suffered from severe (Clavien III-V) complications or required reoperation to release the sling. The procedure was failed in one case (5%). At one-year follow-up, no recurrence of SUI was recorded in any case. Conclusion: In the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence, transobturator vaginal wall slings can be a viable, autologous and cost-effective option with excellent short-term outcome, no recurrence, short operative periods, minor complications and short hospital stays. © The Author(s) 2024.