Visualization of Polypropylene and Polyvinylidene Fluoride Slings in Perineal Ultrasound and Correlation with Clinical Outcome

Introduction and Hypothesis. Complications and malfunctioning after TOT can occur due to several factors, such as the material of the sling. The aim of the present study is to evaluate morphology and functionality of two types of slings (PVDF; polypropylene) in vivo using perineal ultrasound (PUS). Materials. In n = 47 women with TOT four criteria for PUS were taken and checked for possible differences: vertical stability of the sling position during Valsalva manoeuvre and contraction; distance “sling to urethra”; width of the sling and condition of the selvedges. Results. We observed an increased vertical displacement of the PP-slings, a significantly smaller variance to the extent of the displacement in PVDF-slings (P < 0.01), a significantly larger distance between sling and urethra (P < 0.001) in PVDF-slings, and a significantly smaller width of the PP-slings (P < 0.0001). Conclusion. Significant differences were found between the slings according to the four criteria. There was no difference established between the slings in the improvement of continence and no significant influence of the parameters was found for the resulting state of continence. In future studies, PUS may help to link differences in the morphology and functionality of in vivo slings to their material properties.