Comparison of the efficacy of Burch colposuspension, pubovaginal sling, and tension-free vaginal tape for stress urinary incontinence.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the cure rate and confirm the clinical efficacy of the 3 most frequently performed surgical procedures for stress urinary incontinence (SUI). METHODS: Between January 2001 and May 2003, 92 women with SUI were randomly assigned to undergo the Burch colposuspension (n=33), pubovaginal sling (n=28), or tension-free vaginal tape (n=31) at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yonsei Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Patient characteristics, urodynamic study results, cure rates at 3, 6, and 12 months, and complication rates were compared using the chi2 test. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in the cure rates initially, but after 12 months the cure rate of the pubovaginal sling procedure was found to be significantly higher than those of the tension-free vaginal tape or Burch colposuspension procedures. CONCLUSION: The cure rate of the pubovaginal sling procedure was significantly higher after 1 year, but no difference in efficacy was observed between the 2 other procedures. A randomized prospective study of a larger population should be conducted.