Surgical Management of Stress Urinary Incontinence

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI), defined as involuntary leakage of urine during coughing, laughing, sneezing, or physical activity, affects 35% of all women. Bothersome SUI can be managed surgically or non-surgically. Because SUI surgery is associated with operative morbidity, post-procedure voiding difficulty, and development of worsening urge incontinence, surgical intervention is traditionally reserved for patients whose symptoms persist despite conservative therapy.