Surgical treatment of urinary incontinence in Kharkiv

Urinary incontinence (involuntary urination) is the involuntary flow of urine that a person cannot consciously control. The disease leads to the development of psychological complexes, isolation, limitation of social contacts. Urinary incontinence is diagnosed much more often in women than in men. This is due to the peculiarities of the anatomical structure of their urethra and the influence of provoking factors: difficult labor, hormonal changes and others.

The first symptoms of urinary incontinence are dripping or leaking of small volumes of urine, and there may be no urge to urinate. It is important not to ignore them and immediately contact a urologist in order to find out the cause of the disease and start treatment of urinary incontinence before it leads to the development of complications and a deterioration in the quality of life.

What causes urinary incontinence?

Common causes of urinary incontinence in women and men include the following:

• obesity;
• long-term use of diuretics and drugs that affect the transmission of neuromuscular impulses and muscle tone;
• infections of genitourinary system;
• severe stress;
• mental illness;
• diabetes mellitus;
• stroke;
• decreased tone of pelvic floor muscles (as a result of heavy physical exertion, chronic constipation, limited motor activity);
• neurological pathologies – Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis;
• overactive bladder syndrome. The pathology is based on the overactive detrusor (muscular membrane of the organ, with the contraction of which urine is expelled);
• diseases of the brain, nervous system, spinal injury. They provoke the development of neurogenic bladder syndrome. Pathology is characterized by a loss of control over urination due to a violation of the normal contractility of the bladder. With reduced contractility, urine leakage is noted, and with increased contractility, involuntary urinary excretion.

 The causes of urinary incontinence in men also include previous operations on the bladder, urethra or prostate gland, and the presence of prostate tumors. Uncontrolled urine flow in women is provoked by:

• difficult labor, accompanied by rupture or stretching of the muscles and ligaments that hold the bladder and form the pelvic floor;
• undergone gynecological operations;
•  pressure on the bladder of an enlarged uterus (in the last trimester of pregnancy);
• hormonal changes. After the onset of menopause, a gradual thinning of the mucous membranes of the bladder and urethra begins, weakening of the ligaments and muscles of the pelvic floor.

 Urinary incontinence in older women is caused by loss of tone in the urethra and downward displacement of the pelvic organs as a result of age-related changes. This leads to increased pressure on the bladder and uncontrolled urine flow.

Types of urinary incontinence

There are the following main types of urinary incontinence in women and men:

• imperative urinary incontinence (urgent) is characterized by a sharp and strong urge to urinate, which is almost immediately followed by urine output. Urgent urinary incontinence often develops in the elderly and men with prostate adenoma;
• functional urinary incontinence is characterized by the uncontrolled flow of urine due to the influence of external factors. For example, due to physical disabilities, mental, neurological diseases, that is why a person cannot get to the toilet on time;
•  stress urinary incontinence occurs due to tension in the abdominal muscles and a sharp increase in intra-abdominal pressure. Urinary incontinence when coughing, sneezing, laughing, lifting weights occurs mainly in women who have undergone difficult labor. Incontinence of urine with tension of the press in men usually occurs after surgery on the prostate gland;
• mixed incontinence is a combination of the listed types of urinary incontinence. For example, urgent incontinence is often combined with functional incontinence;
• refractory urinary incontinence is characterized by resistance to psychotherapeutic and drug treatment. 

Surgical treatment of urinary incontinence

Treatment of urinary incontinence in women and men begins with finding out the cause of the pathology development. After the patient undergoes a series of diagnostic studies, the urologist, based on their results, selects the optimal therapy method. In case of a slight leakage of urine and the absence of physical damage to the bladder and urethra, drug therapy (taking antispasmodics, antidepressants) may be recommended. Treatment of urinary incontinence with folk remedies is unacceptable, since they do not affect the cause of the disease development.

If conservative therapy does not give the expected effect, you can only get rid of urinary incontinence by surgery. Surgery for urinary incontinence in women and men is called transobturation sling urethropexy. It provides for the installation of TVTO-implant - a special loop made of biocompatible synthetic material that prevents the involuntary flow of urine.

The patient should not eat the night before and on the day of the operation, and two hours before the operation should not drink. After the introduction of intravenous anesthesia, a polypropylene implant is placed under the patient’s urethra through several punctures in the skin in the pubic region. The operation takes no more than 30 minutes. After its completion, the patient is transferred to the ward, where he/she is under the supervision of the medical staff. After a few hours (maximum - a day) the patient is discharged home.

Make appointment for consultation by urologist regarding surgical treatment of urinary incontinence at the medical center “ON Clinic Kharkiv”. Leave a request on the site at any convenient time or call the specified phone number.