TOT surgery, which is a successful treatment method for stress urinary incontinence, is a type of surgery that can be performed under spinal anesthesia or sedation. Urinary incontinence is a problem that occurs against the person’s own will. The problem of urinary incontinence, which affects daily life extremely badly and disturbs the person socially and hygienically, can occur for many different reasons such as hormone deficiency, weakness of the pelvic floor muscles, neurological diseases, difficult childbirth, uterine surgeries. The problem of urinary incontinence, which occurs as a result of weakening of the connective tissue and muscles in the area, is successfully eliminated with TOT surgery.
How is TOT Surgery Performed?
TOT surgery, which stands for Trans Obturator Tape, is a new treatment method. In this method, which was first described in 2001, a band called (polypropylene mesh) is placed with the help of a special needle through a thin incision made vaginally and the urethral canal is elevated. The operation is based on the principle of strengthening the weakened tissues and muscles around the bladder. The aim of the surgery is to prevent urinary incontinence and to strengthen the connective tissues and muscles to achieve this. In the operation, a synthetic support strip is passed around the inside of both legs and around the bladder. In TOT sling surgery, no incision is made in the abdomen, the surgery is performed through a small 1cm incision made 1cm below the urine outlet in the vaginal area.
TOT surgery takes approximately fifteen to twenty-five minutes. However, if different combination surgeries are included in this period, it may take longer. Since self-melting sutures are used in the vagina during TOT surgery, there is no need to remove stitches after surgery. After TOT surgery, which can be performed under spinal anesthesia or sedation, the patient can recover immediately and return to daily life.
The success rate of TOT surgery for urinary incontinence is quite high, but as with any surgery, infection may occur in the patient after TOT surgery. To prevent this, the patient should pay attention to his/her personal hygiene after TOT surgery and continue to use the medications recommended by his/her doctor regularly. The patient can try to avoid situations such as heavy lifting and constipation for a while to prevent problems that may occur after surgery.
