Expectant management of cystotomy at the time of midurethral sling placement: a retrospective case series

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Cystotomy is one of the most common complications of retropubic midurethral sling placement. Some centers manage cystotomy with prolonged catheter drainage, and there are few published studies evaluating this practice. The purpose of this study is to review postoperative outcomes of patients who experienced cystotomy at the time of sling placement and did not undergo prolonged catheter drainage. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of all patients undergoing midurethral sling placement complicated by a cystotomy at the University of Rochester between 2004 and 2009. Outpatient and inpatient records were reviewed and data collected include demographics, intraoperative details, voiding trial results, postoperative complications, and voiding function. Descriptive statistics were performed. RESULTS: Between 2004 and 2009, 30 subjects experienced a cystotomy of the 374 subjects that had a midurethral sling placed, all by a suprapubic approach. There were 25 patients who underwent a voiding trial on the day of surgery and 20 (80 %) were discharged home without prolonged drainage. Five subjects (20 %) had urinary retention and were discharged with an indwelling catheter. All five successfully voided within 4 days of discharge. No subject required subsequent catheterization for any reason and at the 6-week postoperative evaluation all subjects denied voiding dysfunction or irritative bladder symptoms. No subject required additional intervention and postoperative complications were rare. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the majority of subjects experiencing a cystotomy during midurethral sling placement were successfully discharged home the day of surgery without catheter drainage. The results suggest that prolonged catheter drainage after a cystotomy during midurethral sling placement may be unnecessary