[Results of the surgical treatment of urinary incontinence in women. A homogenous series of 293 operations].

The statistic from 278 cases of urinary incontinence in women in a gynaecological department are reported. There was one unexpected death (from coronary thrombosis) and one hemiplegia. From the remaining cases althogether 5-7 p. 100 failures, 7-9 p. 100 partial successes and 86.5 p. 100 cures. The operations undertaken were: 33 Berkow's operation, 138 retro-public colpopexies, 29 interposition operations of placing the uterus between the bladder and the vagina, 52 sub-vesical slings of skin and 26 other different operations. All in all the percentage of failures or partial failures in the different catergories of operation are identically the same, namely about 12 p. 100. This impression can be corrected because we are dealing with small series of cases. But study of the failures in particular is indicated, to search for reasons and for whether this consistent percentage of failures may not be due to a factor which is not curable by surgery as, for instance, a factor of intrinsic muscular weakness.