Urethral Sling 

Some women have a problem with leaking urine, but there is a procedure that can be done to alleviate that issue.

The urethral sling is a procedure that we have been doing for some time. It was made available in the United States in the late 1990’s and has become very popular since that time. There are several different kinds of slings and your doctor may have a preference of one over another. They are all very similar in how they are placed and how they work. They are also similar in their success – in other words: no more leakage.

The sling is an outpatient procedure done in either the surgery center or an outpatient hospital setting. Most patients are placed under general anesthesia. A small vaginal incision is made and 2 small incisions are made either at your pelvic or on your bottom where your leg meets your bottom. The incisions are very small and don’t cause much pain. The incision allows us to place a small piece of tape in a sling under the urethra. The tape is made of different materials all of which have been proven to be effective and only cause minimal side effects. The tape is not secured by suture and works by the body scaring the tape in place. The basic concept is that the tape becomes a backdrop by which the pressure of the abdomen presses the urethra against it. This stops the flow of urine to the outside and keeps it in the bladder where it belongs.

The recovery time is minimal - just a few days to get rid of the anesthesia. We really want you to avoid heavy lifting for as long as you can. Preferably 3 months. That means less than 10 pounds if possible. The goal is to allow the body to heal into the graft to fix your leakage and not require you to do another surgery.

The success rate for this procedure is 85% according to studies.