Mesh for Stress Incontinence

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is quite common, such that about 50 % of women with urinary incontinence report SUI as their primary symptom. Once behavioral modifications and pelvic floor muscle training have failed, surgical management is the mainstay of treatment for SUI, and mid-urethral synthetic slings (MUSS) have been established as the surgical intervention of first choice. All commercially available MUSS are made from uncoated, knitted, macroporous, type 1 polypropylene mesh. With the evolution of mesh, the evolution of the surgical treatment of SUI has evolved in tandem. The popularity of MUSS has come under scrutiny with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA’s) public health notification. While the FDA has not yet released its final recommendations on these devices, the American Urological Association has adopted position statements on the use of mesh for the surgical treatment of SUI.