Are Transperineal Ultrasound Parameters Useful to Predict Incontinence in Patients with Single-Incision Mini-Slings?

Abstract

It would be logical to think that single-incision mini-slings (SIMS) should behave like the rest of the tension-free vaginal tape and, therefore, to believe that they present a similar ultrasound appearance, but there are no studies on this matter. Therefore, the main aim of our research is to determine which ultrasound parameters are associated with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in patients carrying SIMS. A prospective observational study was carried out including 94 patients who were candidates for SUI corrective surgery with SIMS between 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021 at the Universitary Hospital of Valme (Seville, Spain). A transperineal ultrasound evaluation was performed (six months after surgery) in order to study: the bladder neck–symphyseal distance, the posterior urethro–vesical angle, the pubic symphysis–tape gap, the tape–urethral lumen distance, the sagittal tape angle, the tape position, the concordance of movement between the tape and the urethra, and the axial tape angle. A total of 92 patients completed the study (63 asymptomatic and 29 symptomatic). Statistical differences were observed in the concordance of movement between the tape and the urethra (84.1% vs. 25.0%; p: 0.001) and in the axial tape angle at rest (139.3 ± 19.0 vs. 118.3 ± 15.4; p: 0.003) and at Valsalva (145.1 ± 20.2 vs. 159.1 ± 9.0; p: 0.034). Sagittal tape angle at rest was higher in urge urinary incontinence (UUI) patients (132.5 ± 35.7 vs. 143.3 ± 29.8; p: 0.001) and mixed urinary incontinence (MUI) patients (132.5 ± 35.7 vs. 157.8 ± 23.6; p: 0.025) compared to asymptomatic patients. In conclusion, the concordance between the movement of the tape and the urethra is the most useful ultrasound parameter to define continence in patients with SIMS.