Spiral Sling Salvage Anti-Incontinence Surgery in Female Patients With a Nonfunctional Urethra: Technique and Initial Results

Purpose: Female patients with severe urethral incompetence are a unique surgical challenge. Urethral closure and continent diversion are often the next step in the treatment of these patients. We present a technique that provides circumferential coaptation of the urethra as a salvage procedure in this severe subset of patients. Materials and Methods: We prospectively evaluated 47 patients who had a spiral sling. A 1 × 15 cm piece of soft polypropylene mesh was prepared with a zero polyglactin suture applied at each end. A clamp was used to pass the mesh between the urethra and pubis. The ends of the mesh were crossed at the ventral aspect of the urethra, creating a complete circle around the urethra. The sutures were transferred to the suprapubic area and tied without tension. The surgical outcome was determined by patient self-assessment, including symptom, bother and quality of life questionnaires. Results: Mean patient age was 59 years. At presentation patients had undergone a mean of 2.6 incontinence procedures and wore a mean of 6 pads daily. Mean daily pad use decreased to 0.9 (p <0.005). Preoperatively mean SUI symptom severity and bother scores were 2.8 and 2.9, respectively, on a scale of 0-none to 3-severe. Postoperatively these values decreased to 0.6 and 0.4, respectively (each p <0.005). There was a mean 87% overall improvement in symptoms. Conclusions: The spiral sling is an effective salvage transvaginal procedure that may be considered in a small subset of female patients with a nonfunctional urethra as a last resort before urethral closure procedures.