PLACE OF ENDOSCOPY IN URINARY-INCONTINENC E SURGERY

In France, approximately 2 or 3 milion women suffer from urinary incon tinence. A consensus has been reached about the safety of treatment of genuine urinary stress incontinence by retropubic colposuspension (Bu rch procedure). The cure rate for the abdominal Burch procedure is 85 % after 5 years. Since 1991, laparoscopic rotropubic colposuspension h as been advocated for the treatment urinary stress incontinence. The p rocedure can be performed either by laparoscopic intraperitoneal or ex traperitoneal approaches or by associated laparoscopic and vaginal rou tes. The feasibility of laparoscopic colposuspension has been proved. Indeed, a series including 578 patients, showed a laparoconversion rat e of 3.6 %. The most frequent complication of colposuspension is bladd er injury. The majority of cystotomies were treated laparoscopically. The follow-up in this series is relatively short. After one year, the success rate was 96 %. However, these results must be confirmed by oth er series with longer follow-up and by prospective randomized studies.