Mesh Complications Patient Story 5
Pain and Urinary Leakage following Anterior Vaginal Wall Bladder Mesh and TOT Sling
Mesh Complications: Vaginal pain, pelvic pain, pain with intercourse, urinary urgency and frequency
Treatment: Vaginal removal of anterior wall mesh and TOT sling.
The patient is a 53-year-old woman from Denver, CO who had surgery for cystocele and stress urinary incontinence (leaking experienced with laughing, coughing, sneezing, exercise etc). She underwent a vaginal mesh procedure for a cystocele known as a Perigee procedure and a TOT sling for her stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in Arizona.
Since the procedure, three years ago the patient has been suffering from vaginal pain, pelvic pain, pain with intercourse and urinary symptoms of severe urgency, frequency and leakage with urge events (i.e. on the way to the bathroom). The patient reported she visited her surgeon many times to discuss her symptoms, but was told there was nothing wrong and that she would recover with time. She subsequently moved to Colorado where she continued to have pain and was referred to a prominent Urologist in Denver. Upon examination, the doctor felt the mesh was too tight and needed removal. Due to the complexity of the patient’s case he recommended Drs. Miklos and Moore of International Urogynecology Associates. This advanced surgeon did complete the mesh repair for prolaspe; however, felt that removal of mesh was beyond the scope of his expertise or anyone in the region. Stating, “There is only one surgeon in the US that I would recommend doing your surgery and that is Dr. Moore in Atlanta, GA.”
The patient travelled to Atlanta. Upon examination, the patient had extreme pain and could barely tolerate the vaginal exam. It was discovered that the mesh arms from the Perigee graft AND the TOT sling were both too tight under tension and when palpated caused extreme pain to the patient. Urinary obstruction type symptoms from the mesh and the sling were also noted. She was taken to surgery the following day and had the mesh graft and sling released and removed. She recovered well and travelled back to Colorado a few days after surgery. She reported less pain after surgery than she has had in over three years! She subsequently has done very well and has undergone pelvic floor physical therapy to continue to treat any lingering symptoms.
Click here to find out more about TOT Sling complications.
Click here to find out more about Prolift / Apogee / Perigee complications.
Click here for related patient stories
