Minimally Invasive Burch Colposuspension to Reduce Occult Stress Incontinence

In the United States it is estimated that 13% of women will undergo surgery for POP by age 80. In patients without symptoms of stress urinary incontinence (SUI), surgical correction of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) by itself can result in postoperative occult SUI. Two multicenter randomized trials of stress-continent women undergoing vaginal or open prolapse surgery showed lower rates of postoperative SUI if patients undergo concomitant anti-incontinence procedures. However, adverse outcomes vary based on the type of anti-incontinence procedure (open Burch colposuspension or retropubic midurethral sling) and route of surgery (open or vaginal), and therefore the preferred approach to address occult SUI is unknown.

Sacrocolpopexy is the gold standard surgical repair of pelvic organ prolapse of the apical compartment. The Burch colposuspension is a retropubic procedure in which the periurethral tissue of the anterior vagina is affixed to Cooper's ligament on either side using permanent suture bridges. In the Colpopexy and Urinary Reduction Efforts (CARE) trial patients without preoperative symptoms of SUI were randomized to receive or not to receive concomitant prophylactic Burch colposuspension at the time of abdominal sacrocolpopexy. At three months, the subjects who underwent the Burch procedure were found to have lower rates of SUI after surgery (33.6%) compared to the control group (57.4%). Furthermore, of patients who tested negative for SUI on preoperative urodynamic testing, 22.9 % of those who underwent the Burch procedure had SUI compared to 47.9% in the control group. Burch colposuspension did not increase the rate of urinary retention, urge incontinence, urinary urgency, urinary tract infection, intra or post-operative complications. The data in this trial supported the placement of prophylactic Burch colposuspension at the time of abdominal sacrocolpopexy.

Over the last decade, there has been a shift away from open routes of surgical access secondary to decreased morbidity and quicker recovery associated with minimally invasive procedures. As a result, open abdominal sacrocolpopexy with Burch colposuspension has fallen out of favor, and minimally invasive laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy is performed with greater frequency. Additionally, midurethral slings (MUS) have become the gold standard surgical procedure for the treatment of SUI and are performed more frequently than Burch colposuspension at the time of prolapse surgery. The Outcomes Following Vaginal Prolapse Repair and Midurethral Sling (OPUS) study examined the placement of prophylactic MUS at the time of vaginal prolapse surgery. Patients with MUS had lower rates of SUI than control group at 3 months (23.6% vs 49.4%) and at 12 months (27.3% vs 43%). However, unlike the CARE trial, patients with concomitant anti-incontinence procedure had higher rates of adverse events including bladder perforation (6.7% vs 0%), UTI (31.0% vs 18.3%), major bleeding (3.1% vs 0%), and incomplete bladder emptying at 6 weeks (3.7% vs 0%). In addition, MUS carries the risk of mesh erosion into the vagina or urinary tract.

By studying the addition of laparoscopic (including robotic) Burch colposuspension to laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy, the investigators anticipate optimizing surgical outcomes and minimizing complications for patients.