Stress urinary incontinence refers to a condition where urine leakage occurs when a woman coughs, laughs or sneezes. It can also take place during brisk walking, carrying heavy loads, jumping, skipping, and in serious cases, even when standing.
The condition occurs in 30 to 40 per cent of all women with common risk factors such as pregnancy, childbirth, ageing, menopause, manual labour and obesity.
Although pelvic floor exercises may help improve the symptoms, the best chance of a cure is through surgery and at Raffles Surgery Centre, a relatively new method is now available.
Dr. Siow Woei Yun, Specialist in Urology at the Raffles Uro-Renal Centre explains, “Previously, three incisions were necessary but now we only need a single vaginal incision.”
Known as the Scarless Transvaginal Surgery for Miniarc tape insertion, the procedure offers increased benefits for patients. Complications like bleeding, bladder injury, bowel injury, urinary retention and overactive bladder are reduced or even eliminated with this method.
“The length of tape is also halved, thus reducing the risk of non-healing, infection and tape erosions. Short-term results with the initial cohort of patients reveal 100 per cent improvement and cure rates,” informs Dr. Siow, who is the first surgeon to perform this operation in South-East Asia.
The men are not left out either. Those who develop male stress incontinence, usually after surgery for prostate cancer or benign hyperplasia can now turn to a new treatment, a new urethal sling which is an improvement over the previous use of an artificial urinary sphincter.
Dr. Lim Kok Bin, Specialist in Urology at the Centre discloses, “The disadvantage of the artificial urinary sphincter is the risk of infection which would require complete removal of the device and a possibility of mechanical failure. The male urethral sling is therefore a more appropriate option for those with mild to moderate incontinence.”
This new minimally invasive procedure involves passing a thin strip of polypropylene mesh between incisions on the inner thighs, deep beneath the bottom of the urethra to increase support in the area where the tissue has been weakened.
“As this procedure has only been around for two years, the long term results are not known as yet, but the simplicity of the procedure makes it promising for men with mild incontinence,” says Dr. Lim.