Obstruction after Burch colposuspension: a return to retropubic urethrolysis

We compare our postoperative outcomes of a vaginal vs abdominal urethrolysis after an obstructed Burch colposuspension. We performed a retrospective review of all women who had undergone a Burch urethrolysis from 1997 through 2003. Data collected included pelvic examination, cystoscopic and urodynamic findings, surgical morbidity, and pre- and postoperative urogynecologic symptomatology. Sixteen women underwent Burch urethrolysis. Preoperative symptoms were obstructive in 6, overactive in 2, and both (obstructive/overactive) in 8. All had an acute retropubic angulation of the urethral axis as well as a retropexed urethra that prohibited sagittal rotation of a rigid cystoscope. Seventy-eight percent of the women with urodynamic information met urodynamic criteria for urethral obstruction. Average follow-up was 7 months, and of those undergoing a vaginal urethrolysis, three out of seven (43%) had resolution of their obstructive or overactive symptoms postoperatively. In contrast, seven out of nine women (78%) who underwent a retropubic urethrolysis had relief of their obstructive or overactive bladder symptoms. In our cohort study, an abdominal retropubic urethrolysis was more successful in relieving urethral obstruction than a vaginal urethrolysis.