Tension-free vaginal tape for surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence: two years follow-up.

BACKGROUND: The objective was to study prospectively the effectiveness of tension-free vaginal tape as an ambulatory and minimal invasive operation for the treatment of female stress incontinence. METHODS: The tension-free vaginal tape procedure was performed in 25 patients with genuine stress incontinence and they were followed for a 2-year period. All patients were diagnosed with urodynamics to have genuine stress incontinence. Pad tests, cough stress test and quality-of-life assessments were carried out in all patients, both preoperatively and postoperatively. The majority of the women were discharged the morning after the surgical procedure. RESULTS: Twenty of 25 (80%) patients were found to be cured 2 years after the operation. The vaginal tape was spontaneously dropped out from the vagina in one patient 2 weeks after the procedure. We did not see such a complication in previous studies. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the tension-free vaginal tape procedure is both a safe and effective method to cure genuine female stress incontinence. Furthermore, it can be performed as an ambulatory procedure under local anesthesia with a short operative time.

Effect of transurethral resection of the prostate on blood coagulation test results.

AIM: To evaluate results of coagulation tests and serum sodium levels during the early postoperative period in patients undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a prospective study, blood coagulation tests were performed and serum sodium levels measured in 27 patients before and at the end of transurethral resection of the prostate and 24 h later. The causes of the changes in coagulation test results were also investigated. RESULTS: There were significant decreases in the platelet counts (p < 0.001) and fibrinogen (p < 0.001), hemoglobin (p < 0.05), and sodium (p < 0.0001) concentrations at the end of the operation. The prothrombin time was prolonged (p < 0.01). The activated partial thromboplastin time did not change. There was a statistically significant correlation between the changes in prothrombin time and fibrinogen concentration and the amount of irrigating solution used during the operation and the difference between the volume given and collected as irrigation. Coagulation test results, hemoglobin concentration, and serum sodium level returned to normal values 24 h after the operation. CONCLUSION: Our results show that there was a transient change in platelet count, prothrombin time, and fibrinogen and serum sodium concentrations during the early postoperative period which can be explained on the basis of dilution of the blood.

Analysis of the trace element contents of inner nucleus and outer crust parts of urinary calculi.

In this study, the lead, cadmium, nickel, and aluminum concentrations were analyzed in inner nucleus and outer crust parts of various kinds of urinary calculi, and the results obtained were statistically compared. Significant differences were found among the element concentrations in the different stone groups. In general, higher element concentrations were found in the nuclei as compared with the crust parts. In addition, some significant intra- and intercorrelations were established among the elements analyzed. The results suggest that some trace elements, including lead, cadmium, nickel, and aluminum, together with other factors may have as yet no clarified functions in the stone precipitation process in the urinary tract.