To treat urgency and mixed urinary incontinence, there is a novel, standardized surgical procedure, called cervicosacropexy (CESA) and vaginosacropexy (VASA), in which both uterosacral ligaments are replaced by polyvinylidene-fluoride (PVDF) tapes of defined lengths and shape. As there is little experience with the tapes so far and literature is scanty, the aim of this study was to investigate biomechanical properties for the fixation of the PVDF-tapes with three different fixation methods. The standard fixation with two single sutures should be compared to the fixation with titanium tacks (ProTackTM), once arranged in a row and once arranged in a triangle, especially with regard to the load capacity of the respective fixation.
Four types of trials were conducted. Group 1 (n=10) used two single sutures to attach the PVDF-tape on the prevertebral fascia. Group 2 (n=10) evaluated the PVDF-tape fixation with three titanium tacks arranged in a row (ProTackTM, Covidien, Mansfield, MA), group 3 (n=10) evaluated the PVDF-tape fixation with three titanium tacks arranged in a triangle (ProTackTM, Covidien, Mansfield, MA) and group 4 (n=10) evaluated a single suture without any mesh on the anterior longitudinal ligament.