Is minimally invasive sling surgery for urinary incontinence permanent?

Written by Chen Feng
Urology
Updated on December 05, 2024
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Minimally invasive sling surgery is generally suitable for patients with stress urinary incontinence. This surgery is usually not permanent, and its specific name is tension-free urethral suspension. It is used to increase the closure pressure of the urethra. Therefore, when the intra-abdominal pressure increases, the increased urethral closure pressure can prevent urine leakage. This surgery is one of the more common surgeries in clinical practice, but over time, various complications related to the surgery tend to increase. Common surgical complications include difficulty urinating, bladder perforation, and corrosion of the vaginal or urethral sling. Over time, the probability of corrosion gradually increases.

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Written by Wang Jian
Urology
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What department should I go to for urinary incontinence?

Urinary incontinence refers to the involuntary leakage of urine from the bladder, uncontrollable. There are many causes of urinary incontinence, categorized into stress incontinence, overflow incontinence, urge incontinence, and functional incontinence. If urinary incontinence occurs, it is advisable to visit a urologist and undergo some related examinations. The most common type among female patients is stress incontinence. For instance, urine might involuntarily leak during coughing, sneezing, or lifting heavy objects. This is associated with weak pelvic floor muscles, impaired function of the bladder sphincter or urethral sphincter, lack of coordination among these muscles, and a deficiency of estrogen. Urge incontinence is mainly seen in urinary tract infections, whereas overflow incontinence can be seen in conditions like prostate enlargement, urethral stricture, or neurogenic bladder.

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Written by Chen Feng
Urology
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How to care for incontinence-associated dermatitis

The care for incontinence-associated dermatitis primarily involves keeping the affected skin clean and dry. It is important to avoid skin contact with urine as much as possible. If the skin does come into contact with urine, it should be washed promptly and kept clean and dry. If there is itching or discomfort at the site of the dermatitis, topical corticosteroid ointments may be used to alleviate the itching. Some patients might also develop infections, typically bacterial, which can be managed with antibiotics. For patients with recurrent dermatitis, considering bladder fistulation or other treatment methods might be necessary to prevent skin contact with urine.

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Written by Wang Shuai
Urology
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How to treat stress urinary incontinence?

Stress urinary incontinence is commonly seen in women who have given birth, with the likelihood of occurring increasing with the number of childbirths. It primarily manifests as urine leakage through the urethral opening when there is an increase in abdominal pressure from coughing, sneezing, laughing, or lifting heavy objects. For mild urinary incontinence, improvement can be achieved through pelvic floor and urinary sphincter muscle exercises. For moderate to severe stress urinary incontinence, it is recommended to seek surgical treatment early. This can involve mid-urethral sling procedures to control urination. Post-surgery, it is also necessary to minimize situations that suddenly increase intra-abdominal pressure.

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Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
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Can fecal incontinence be recovered?

If fecal incontinence occurs, the first step is to identify the main cause of the fecal incontinence. If it is caused by relaxation of the anal sphincter and anal canal, then surgery can be performed to tighten this area, specifically through an anal tightening procedure, which can restore control over fecal incontinence. If the patient has other underlying diseases or is elderly and frail, accompanied by changes in the nervous system, the symptoms of fecal incontinence may be alleviated through medication or physical therapy, but complete recovery is unlikely. This is because the recovery of the nervous system requires the integrated regulation of other bodily organs and functions. If there are multiple underlying diseases or if the patient is elderly and frail, especially in the later stages of coma, recovery is difficult.

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Written by Chen Feng
Urology
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What is the difference between genuine urinary incontinence and pseudo urinary incontinence?

Genuine urinary incontinence generally occurs due to incomplete closure of the urethral sphincter, or due to insufficient urethral closure pressure. As a result, patients will show continuous leakage of urine from the urethra or involuntary urine discharge from the urethra when there is an increase in intra-abdominal pressure, such as during sneezing, coughing, or performing strenuous physical activities. Genuine urinary incontinence includes both continuous and stress urinary incontinence. Pseudo urinary incontinence is generally due to urethral stricture, commonly seen with conditions such as prostatic hyperplasia or urethral stones. The urethral stricture prevents urine from being expelled from the bladder. When the bladder becomes overly full, urine overflows through the urethra, a condition also known as overflow incontinence.