Funneling before and after anti-incontinence surgery--a prognostic indicator? Part 2: tension-free vaginal tape

Does the presence of pre- and postoperative funneling of the proximal urethra affect the outcome of tension-free vaginal tape (TVT)? This prospective study of 191 women with proven primary genuine stress urinary incontinence treated by TVT insertion and assessed by pre- and postoperative introital ultrasound aims to answer that question. At 36-month follow-up, the cure rate was 89.5% (Kaplan-Meier estimator). At 6-month follow-up, 6.3% of the women had urge symptoms and 0.5% de novo urge incontinence. The cure rate in preoperative funneling was 77.5% as opposed to 96.6% in the group without funneling (P