TVT TVTO

Tension-free vaginal tape (TVT and TVT-O).

What is a TVT operation?

This operation is designed to help with urinary stress incontinence.

It is considered minimal access surgery (key-hole surgery), as there is only a small (10mm) cut in the vagina and at most two 3mm cuts on the outside.

It is an operation that we have been performing for 10 years and success rates of the order of 80% are expected.

This procedure is performed under general or regional anaesthesia. A small incision is made in the vagina and the permanent tape is introduced via the vagina to sit under the urethra. The tape exits above the bone in your lower abdomen (TVT), or in the inner thigh (TVT-O). You will go home the same day or following morning.

TVT-O tape site

Risks and complications
Serious complications are rare with this type of surgery. The complications can be:

•10-15% failure rate over 10 years
•1-5% of women have difficulty passing urine after and may need a few weeks of a catheter,
•5-10% bladder irritability (urgency symptoms or overactive bladder) after the surgery
•1-5% urinary tract infections
•very small risk of damage to the bladder, urethra or blood vessels requiring further surgery
•1% risk of wound infection
•1% risk of mesh becoming infected or rejected necessitating the tape removal
•risk of tape erosions into vagina or urethra
•small risk of pain associated with the tape.