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Medical technology has improved across time. However, some stress urinary incontinence (SUI) patients seem to remain on the same page when it comes to treatment. The outcomes of the September 2011 FDA advisory committee meeting regarding the vaginal mesh, however, show that little improvement and innovations have been made in design.


Medical practitioners have been using the laparoscopic Burch surgery as the standard repair for SUI for so many years. This procedure involves the realigning of the urethra and the neck of the bladder to their rightful places by stitching them permanently to the pelvic ligaments. At a later time, sling operation by use of the patient’s own tissues has been found out to be less associated with side effects. Because of this, the idea of using a synthetic mesh as support to the weakened tissues was recognized and adapted by many physicians. This has also caused the mesh industry to grow.
 

Based on a study almost 10 years ago, more than 11 percent of women undergo surgery for SUI, and nearly 30 percent of them will be subjected to reconstructive operation. This necessitates the innovation of a more reliable and highly effective device.
 

The artificial mesh for vaginal implantation was first used 20 years ago in Europe, and was then utilized by Americans after five years. Later, it was also practiced for reconstructing prolapsed organs of the pelvis. For these two conditions, more data is needed to improve the quality and durability of the mesh as it was observed that patients’ status deteriorate through time accompanied by mesh erosion and infection.
 

Biomedical engineers and physicians hope for a new device that will last and provide patients with less side effects and better performance. Through advancing studies, the use of mesh has gradually improved and served patients who have hernia. These days, thinner mesh designs with bigger pores are being considered to promote good circulation to the area in which the device is implanted. Poor blood flow to the involved tissues causes cell death and scarring.
 

The only problem with the latest surgical methods rests on its many complications. In comparison to the traditional colposuspension, the use of synthetic mesh may result to consequences that are hardly reversible.
 

Presently, the implantation of synthetic mesh through vaginal incisions has gained popularity among surgeons and patients. Despite the increasing reports of complaints and filings of vaginal mesh lawsuit, mesh promoters are still marketing their products in the belief that more patients have benefited from it.


References:

http://www.laparoscopicburch.com/
http://www.healthcentral.com/incontinence/c/76594/143806/mesh-surgery
http://stressurinaryincontinence.com/ 
 


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