Introduction and hypothesis: Transobturator mid-urethral sling (TVT-O), a surgical treatment for stress urinary incontinence, has been shown to be highly effective in the short and medium term. However, long-term outcomes with larger sample sizes are lacking. The study is aimed at assessing the efficacy and safety of TVT-O over a 10-year follow-up period in Chinese women.
Methods: This prospective observational study included Chinese women who underwent TVT-O for urodynamic stress incontinence. Objective cure was defined as the absence of urodynamic stress incontinence on a urodynamic study, whereas a subjective cure was defined as the patient's perception of their condition. Quality of life (QOL) was assessed using the validated Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 questionnaire and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7, along with the visual analogue scale (VAS).
Results: A total of 326 Chinese women were included in the study. The objective and subjective cure rates at the 10-year follow-up were 75.2% and 73.6% respectively. Significant improvements were observed across all QOL domains. The mean VAS satisfaction score was 8.5 out of 10 after 10 years. Complications were uncommon; 2 women (0.6%) experienced tape erosion, one of whom required local excision. No patients reported persistent thigh pain after 10 years. The cumulative rate of repeating the mid-urethral sling procedure was 2.5%.
Conclusions: The TVT-O is a highly effective and safe surgical treatment for women with stress urinary incontinence at the 10-year follow-up. Thigh pain after TVT-O is rare and should not prevent women from considering this beneficial treatment.
Keywords: Chinese women; Long-term follow-up; Mid-urethral sling; Stress urinary incontinence; TVT-O; Tension-free vaginal tape obturator.
© 2026. The Author(s).