WEDNESDAY, Sept. 18, 2002 (HealthDayNews) -- A new five-year clinical trial at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center will try to determine which of two common surgeries for female urinary stress incontinence offers better results.
The two surgeries are called the Burch procedure and the sling procedure. Both have cure rates estimated at between 60 percent and 90 percent, but no formal clinical trial has ever been done to determine if one works better in the long run.
"These are not experimental procedures. They have been around a long time, and are very safe," says lead researcher Dr. Philippe Zimmern, a professor of urology at UT Southwestern.
After they've been randomly assigned to one of the procedures, women in the study will be regularly examined for four years after their surgery.
The sling procedure compresses the urethral sphincter to prevent urine leakage. In the Burch procedure, sutures to the pelvic ligaments support the bladder.
Stress incontinence is accidental urine leakage caused by laughing, coughing, sneezing or lifting heavy objects. It's common in women due to muscle weakening that can be caused by pregnancy and childbirth, pelvic surgery, aging and menopause-related hormonal changes.
More than 70 women will be recruited for this study.
More information
Here's more information about urinary stress incontinence.
