Minimally Invasive Burch Colposuspension to Reduce Occult Stress Incontinence

NCT ID: NCT03841513

Last Updated: 2025-08-26

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 50 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2019-01-29
• Study Completion Date: 2022-09-27

Brief Summary

This study evaluates the addition of a laparoscopic Burch colposuspension procedure at the time of laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy to prevent stress urinary incontinence. Half of the participants will undergo Burch colposuspension procedure at the time of sacrocolpopexy, and half of the participants will undergo sacrocolpopexy alone.

Detailed Description

In the United States it is estimated that 13% of women will undergo surgery for POP by age 80. In patients without symptoms of stress urinary incontinence (SUI), surgical correction of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) by itself can result in postoperative occult SUI. Two multicenter randomized trials of stress-continent women undergoing vaginal or open prolapse surgery showed lower rates of postoperative SUI if patients undergo concomitant anti-incontinence procedures. However, adverse outcomes vary based on the type of anti-incontinence procedure (open Burch colposuspension or retropubic midurethral sling) and route of surgery (open or vaginal), and therefore the preferred approach to address occult SUI is unknown.

Sacrocolpopexy is the gold standard surgical repair of pelvic organ prolapse of the apical compartment. The Burch colposuspension is a retropubic procedure in which the periurethral tissue of the anterior vagina is affixed to Cooper's ligament on either side using permanent suture bridges. In the Colpopexy and Urinary Reduction Efforts (CARE) trial patients without preoperative symptoms of SUI were randomized to receive or not to receive concomitant prophylactic Burch colposuspension at the time of abdominal sacrocolpopexy. At three months, the subjects who underwent the Burch procedure were found to have lower rates of SUI after surgery (33.6%) compared to the control group (57.4%). Furthermore, of patients who tested negative for SUI on preoperative urodynamic testing, 22.9 % of those who underwent the Burch procedure had SUI compared to 47.9% in the control group. Burch colposuspension did not increase the rate of urinary retention, urge incontinence, urinary urgency, urinary tract infection, intra or post-operative complications. The data in this trial supported the placement of prophylactic Burch colposuspension at the time of abdominal sacrocolpopexy.

Over the last decade, there has been a shift away from open routes of surgical access secondary to decreased morbidity and quicker recovery associated with minimally invasive procedures. As a result, open abdominal sacrocolpopexy with Burch colposuspension has fallen out of favor, and minimally invasive laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy is performed with greater frequency. Additionally, midurethral slings (MUS) have become the gold standard surgical procedure for the treatment of SUI and are performed more frequently than Burch colposuspension at the time of prolapse surgery. The Outcomes Following Vaginal Prolapse Repair and Midurethral Sling (OPUS) study examined the placement of prophylactic MUS at the time of vaginal prolapse surgery. Patients with MUS had lower rates of SUI than control group at 3 months (23.6% vs 49.4%) and at 12 months (27.3% vs 43%). However, unlike the CARE trial, patients with concomitant anti-incontinence procedure had higher rates of adverse events including bladder perforation (6.7% vs 0%), UTI (31.0% vs 18.3%), major bleeding (3.1% vs 0%), and incomplete bladder emptying at 6 weeks (3.7% vs 0%). In addition, MUS carries the risk of mesh erosion into the vagina or urinary tract.

By studying the addition of laparoscopic (including robotic) Burch colposuspension to laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy, the investigators anticipate optimizing surgical outcomes and minimizing complications for patients.

Conditions

Pelvic Organ Prolapse; Urinary Incontinence,Stress; Urinary Incontinence, Urge; Bowel Dysfunction; Sexual Dysfunction

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

Control

Patients in this arm will undergo standard laparoscopic or robotic sacrocolpopexy, without the addition of a laparoscopic/robotic Burch colposuspension

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Laparoscopic Burch Colposuspension

Patients in this arm will undergo standard laparoscopic or robotic sacrocolpopexy, with the addition of a laparoscopic/robotic Burch colposuspension

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Laparoscopic Burch Colposuspension

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

The Burch Colposuspension is an anti-incontinence procedure where non-absorbable monofilament suture is used in the retropubic space to form a suture bridge between the anterior vagina and Cooper's ligament, thereby gently elevating the anterior vaginal wall and providing urethral support.

Interventions

Laparoscopic Burch Colposuspension

The Burch Colposuspension is an anti-incontinence procedure where non-absorbable monofilament suture is used in the retropubic space to form a suture bridge between the anterior vagina and Cooper's ligament, thereby gently elevating the anterior vaginal wall and providing urethral support.

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• English or Spanish speaking and reading
• Symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse with any compartment at or beyond the hymen
• Stress-continent, as defined as response of "no" to question 17 of PFDI-20: "Do you usually experience urine leakage related to coughing, sneezing, or laughing?", as well as a negative empty supine stress test.
• Planning laparoscopic or robotic sacrocolpopexy, with or without hysterectomy
• Have completed childbearing

Exclusion Criteria

• Adults unable to consent
• Pregnant women or patients desiring future pregnancy
• Patients undergoing uterine sparing surgery
• Individuals under age 18
• Prior procedure for stress urinary incontinence
• Prior retropubic surgery

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: FEMALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Friends of Prentice

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Northwestern University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Sarah Collins

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Sarah A Collins, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Northwestern University

Locations

Northwestern University Prentice Women's Hospital

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Loyola University Hospital

Maywood, Illinois, United States

Countries

United States

References

Wu JM, Matthews CA, Conover MM, Pate V, Jonsson Funk M. Lifetime risk of stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse surgery. Obstet Gynecol. 2014 Jun;123(6):1201-1206. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000000286.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 24807341 (View on PubMed)

Brubaker L, Cundiff GW, Fine P, Nygaard I, Richter HE, Visco AG, Zyczynski H, Brown MB, Weber AM; Pelvic Floor Disorders Network. Abdominal sacrocolpopexy with Burch colposuspension to reduce urinary stress incontinence. N Engl J Med. 2006 Apr 13;354(15):1557-66. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa054208.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 16611949 (View on PubMed)

Wei JT, Nygaard I, Richter HE, Nager CW, Barber MD, Kenton K, Amundsen CL, Schaffer J, Meikle SF, Spino C; Pelvic Floor Disorders Network. A midurethral sling to reduce incontinence after vaginal prolapse repair. N Engl J Med. 2012 Jun 21;366(25):2358-67. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1111967.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 22716974 (View on PubMed)

Geller EJ, Siddiqui NY, Wu JM, Visco AG. Short-term outcomes of robotic sacrocolpopexy compared with abdominal sacrocolpopexy. Obstet Gynecol. 2008 Dec;112(6):1201-1206. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e31818ce394.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 19037026 (View on PubMed)

Hsiao KC, Latchamsetty K, Govier FE, Kozlowski P, Kobashi KC. Comparison of laparoscopic and abdominal sacrocolpopexy for the treatment of vaginal vault prolapse. J Endourol. 2007 Aug;21(8):926-30. doi: 10.1089/end.2006.0381.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 17867956 (View on PubMed)

Paraiso MF, Walters MD, Rackley RR, Melek S, Hugney C. Laparoscopic and abdominal sacral colpopexies: a comparative cohort study. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2005 May;192(5):1752-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2004.11.051.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 15902189 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Other Identifiers

STU00208016

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id