Several surgical procedures are available for treating incontinence, more specifically for treating Stress Incontinence. The vast majority of these procedures restore the bladder neck and urethra to their anatomically correct positions. An exception to this occurs in Urethral Bulking Injections, which are used to close down an open bladder neck.
The choice of surgical procedure depends on a number of factors, including the presence of bladder or uterine prolapse, the severity of incontinence, the presence or absence of bladder neck mobility and the surgeon’s experience in performing the specific types of surgery.
Patients should weigh all options carefully, and should certainly ask about their surgeon’s experience. In addition to asking about their surgeon’s experience, they should also inquire about the surgeon’s rate of complications in those procedures. The patient should be informed about the risks, benefits, alternatives and indications of the procedures.