BLADDER SLING PROCEDURES 

These are procedures Dr Heron uses regularly to treat stress incontinence – the unwelcome leak of urine that many women experience with any movement that puts pressure on the bladder including coughing, laughing or sneezing.

The usual cause of stress incontinence is the weakening of muscles that support the urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the body) and help it act as a valve, keeping urine in the bladder.

By placing a stitch or strip of mesh under the urethra, bladder sling procedures provide support to these weakened muscles and helps keep urine in the bladder.

Methods used by Dr Heron include:

Tension-Free Vaginal Tape, Sub Urethral Sling (TVT or SUS) Procedure –

this procedure is completed through a small incision in the vagina, usually under a general anaesthetic, and involves placing a mesh-like tape under the urethra to give it support

Burch Procedure -

completed under a general anaesthetic, so you are asleep throughout, and often by laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery, this procedure involves placing permanent stitches on both sides of the urethra to give it more support