Polypropylene Mesh Sling for Stress Urinary Incontinence: Does Memory Shaping of the Polypropylene Mesh Matter?

We report a case of a mid-urethral sling (Advantage Fit™, Boston Scientific Corporation, Marlborough, Massachusetts) freshly removed from its original package. Upon removal from the packaging, the sling was noted to have a deformation in positioning at the midpoint, with curvature opposite the natural curve of the sling in the body. The images show the comparison to a sling with the desired positioning. Mid-urethral slings are commonly made from polypropylene mesh which has memory properties. It is important that manufacturers ensure that any steps in the processing or packaging of slings do not result in changes in the shape of the sling that may have unknown impacts on its clinical outcome.

Surgical technology international. 2017 Dec 22 [Epub ahead of print]

Andrew Doering, Ali Azadi, David Doering, Donald R Ostergard

Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Mt. Carmel Health System, Columbus, Ohio., Pelvic Health Center, St. Vincent Hospital for Women & Children, Evansville, Indiana., Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Norton Cancer Institute, Louisville, Kentucky., Division of Urogynecology, UCLA School of Medicine, Harbor/UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California.