What is a Sling Excision?

Mid-urethral sling is the treatment of choice for stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The sling provides support to the urethra, preventing leakage with physical stress or urethral mobility. Urodynamics (an in-office bladder study) is done prior to surgery to determine how tight or how loose to make the sling. More severe SUI is treated with a tighter sling, minimal or standard SUI with a normal functioning bladder is placed on a looser tension.

If a sling is placed in the wrong space ie too close to the bladder neck or if the sling is placed on too much tension, incomplete bladder emptying or strained voiding can occur. If this happens within about a week of sling placement, the tension can often be reduced in an outpatient surgical procedure which typically takes about 30 minutes. If the sling was placed several years ago, a sling excision will be performed, where the obstructive portion of the sling is removed.

If SUI recurs after sling excision, a subsequent sling may be placed. Careful attention is taken to ensure correct placement and tensioning of the new sling.