Uninary Incontinence

Surgery for Urinary Incontinence without mesh
The urinary system

What is Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is the medical term provided when a person leaks urine or loses bladder control.

Incontinence is a very common problem, particularly as we age and progression can be influenced by a number of factors. Good news, once the underlying cause is identified, the treatment is very effective.

Too often, women accept that they may ‘leak’ with age, however it is important to recognise that this is abnormal and that there is a multi-modal approach that can be employed to help you regain your bladder control and ultimately confidence.

Types of Urinary Incontinence

The three most common forms of urinary incontinence are:

  • Stress Incontinence – often leakage that occurs when you laugh, sneeze or run. This would be the most common form of incontinence I see and essentially this leakage is exacerbated by any form of situation that involving tensing the abdominal muscles
  • Urgency Incontinence – the hallmark feature here is those whom get a very strong desire or ‘urge’ to need to go to the toilet that often sometimes you don’t make it to the bathroom in time. Not all people with this form of ‘incontinence’ will leak
  • Mixed Incontinence – this is a culmination of the two incontinence pathways listed above and as such you may experience both of the above symptoms.

Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis

Depending on your diagnosis, which often becomes apparent from both a history and examination – the appropriate management pathway can be implemented.

Complex cases may benefit from further bladder testing called Urodynamics or a Cystoscopy.

Urinary Incontinence Treatment

Typically, non-surgical management is reserved for Urgency Incontinence.

Stress Incontinence may require surgery, especially if targeted pelvic floor physiotherapy fails to improve your scenario.

Surgery for stress urinary incontinence can take on a variety of procedures and the procedure of choice that I offer is a Laparoscopic Burch Colposuspension. This is a minimally invasive procedure ‘key hole’ that is performed utilising stitch material to support your bladder neck.

It does not have any associated mesh erosion concerns, as either a non-absorbable or absorbable suture is utilised.

Dr Sam Daniels is a AGES accredited laparoscopic surgeon and a specialist endometriosis surgeon.