Robert L. Harris, M.D. and Steven E. Speights, M.D. of Southeast Urogynecology at Women's Specialty Center in Jackson, MS specialize in the care of women with pelvic support and bladder problems including urinary incontinence. They now offer a simple, proven outpatient surgical treatment option for women suffering stress urinary incontinence.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, more than 13 million Americans, 85 percent of whom are women, suffer from urinary incontinence and this includes only those who see a doctor for the problem. Additionally, it is estimated that at least this many women suffer in silence.

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI), which is at least in part caused by weakening of the pelvic floor muscles, is the most common type of incontinence that women experience. This condition causes women to leak urine when they laugh, sneeze, cough or exercise.

Robert L. Harris, M.D. and Steven E. Speights, M.D. of Southeast Urogynecology at Women's Specialty Center in Jackson, MS specialize in the care of women with pelvic support and bladder problems including urinary incontinence. They now offer a simple, proven outpatient surgical treatment option for women suffering SUI.

The treatment is called TVT (tension free vaginal tape) and is a urethral sling procedure using a minimally invasive approach. TVT has been performed on over 200,000 women worldwide; over 50,000 of these in the United States. In clinical trials, 85 percent of women treated remained dry, while an additional 11 percent experienced significant improvement.
The procedure usually takes less than 30-minutes and can be performed under local, regional or general anesthesia. This minimally invasive sling can restore a woman's ability to control urine loss. It is even a good option for women who have previously had unsuccessful surgery for urinary incontinence.

Audrey Hood of Utica, Miss. experienced severe incontinence problems after giving birth to her fourth child. For almost 20 years, Hood suffered from the condition. She said after having the TVT procedure performed last year she felt like she got her life back.

"You just don't realize how much you take for granted. I can now shop for extended periods of time. I can even exercise. It's made me whole again," Hood exclaimed.

Forty-nine year old Marion Redwood of Columbus, Miss. started experiencing problems after childbirth in 1984, and her urine loss got increasingly worse in 1999.
"I couldn't walk more than half a block without leaking. By November 2002, I leaked with every step I took," Redwood said.

After having one failed surgery in 2001 and extensive diagnostic tests in another state, Redwood was referred to Dr. Harris. He diagnosed her with intrinsic urethral sphincteric dysfunction, a severe form of SUI, and performed the TVT treatment in November 2002.

"I have not leaked one drop since having the procedure," Redwood added. "I can walk normally now and even exercise. I thought only people in nursing homes had this kind of severe problem with incontinence, but that's not so."

Female SUI is caused in part by an improperly functioning urethra. Unlike other types of incontinence, SUI is not a problem of the bladder. "Normally, the urethra maintains a tight seal to prevent involuntary loss of urine," Dr. Harris said. "In a woman with SUI, muscle and pelvic tissues weakened by childbirth, chronic straining or coughing or other causes, are unable to adequately support the urethra in its correct position. As a result, when pressure is exerted on the bladder during sudden movements, the urethra cannot maintain its seal and urine escapes."

TVT combines the use of a thin polypropylene mesh with a traditional surgical procedure, known as a sling, to correct SUI. The mesh is woven through pelvic tissue and positioned underneath the urethra, creating a supportive sling. When pressure is exerted, the tape provides the support needed to allow the urethra to maintain its seal.

Dr. Speights added, "In the more than 200 patients that we have performed the TVT procedure on, nearly all have been discharged the same day of surgery and most have not required pain medication afterwards. When needed or in severe cases of SUI, we have the option of keeping the patient awake with local or regional anesthesia so that we can do an intra-operative test to assess for leakage. This allows us to check the tension of the sling and make appropriate adjustments to help improve success rates."

Sandra Currie of Gluckstadt, MS started having uncontrollable bladder leakage in 1988. Currie said that after a while, the problem began to "destroy" her self-esteem. She couldn't play with her grandchildren in the park without leaking. Activities such as exercise or any physical stress were prohibited. After undergoing an unsuccessful sling in 2001 elsewhere, Dr. Harris performed the TVT procedure last year. Her family members have noticed a significant positive change in her quality of life.

"Even at an older age, it means so much to be able to have a good quality of life. Having the procedure accomplished this for me. I can play with my grandchildren and not be embarrassed by wetting my clothes," said 65 year-old Currie.

Dr. Harris added, "I have seen this make a huge impact on a woman's quality of life. Many times they go from wearing diapers and being worried about going out of the house to basically being dry without incontinence."

Dr. Speights stated that after someone has a TVT, they can expect about a two week recovery period prior to returning to work. "During this time, there should be little interference with normal daily activities. The patient is advised to avoid heavy lifting and intercourse for four to six weeks," he said.

For more information on the GYNECARE TVT procedure or Drs. Harris or Speights contact Southeast Urogynecology at Women's Specialty Center at 601-948-6540 or visit the Southeast Urogynecology website at www.southeasturogyn.com