The Impact of Retropubic Lidocaine vs Saline on Postoperative Urinary Retention Following Midurethral Sling

NCT03913845 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: PHASE4 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 150

Last updated 2026-04-30

Study results available
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Summary

Stress urinary incontinence affects millions of women worldwide and has a profound impact on the quality of life of older individuals, their subjective health status, levels of depression and need for care. Midurethral sling placement was introduced in 1995 and remains the current gold standard for surgical management of SUI. Although the advantages of midurethral sling surgery include its high success and minimally invasive approach, approximately 10-50% of women experience acute postoperative urinary retention and are subsequently sent home with an indwelling foley catheter or clean intermittent self catheterization. Urinary retention is anxiety provoking for most patients and adds morbidity, cost, and increased utilization of healthcare resources. Additionally, catheterization of the urinary tract results in increased risk of urinary tract infection and potential need for antibiotics.

Several recent studies have reported varying rates of postoperative voiding trial success depending on the type of local anesthetic used for hydrodissection; however the data is sparse and invites a more thorough investigation. Furthermore, to the investigators knowledge, no studies have systematically explored dosage or type of agent used intraoperatively on postoperative voiding function. Based on the preliminary data, the investigators hypothesize that patients receiving normal saline compared to a local anesthetic (e.g., lidocaine) will have a reduction in duration of postoperative urinary retention following retropubic midurethral sling placement.

Conditions

  • Stress Urinary Incontinence

Interventions

DRUG

lidocaine with epinephrine

One of the most commonly used local anesthetic agents in surgical practice is lidocaine. Lidocaine as a local anesthetic is characterized by a rapid onset of action (typically within 2-5 minutes of injection) and intermediate duration of efficacy and thus is often favored in the outpatient setting for pre-incisional injections. Of note, however, its effects general only last up to 2 hours. Epinephrine (adrenaline) vasoconstricts arteries, delaying the resorption of lidocaine, and thus almost doubles the duration of anesthesia.

DRUG

Normal saline with epinephrine

Several mechanisms could explain the inability to void postoperatively, including nerve conduction impairment from anesthesia. Multiple studies have investigated the use of various types of anesthesia and downstream effects on postoperative urinary retention. It is postulated that denervating the regional pelvic nerves for pain control may lead to denervation of the bladder for a transient period of time, block both the afferent and efferent pathways of the voiding mechanism, affect the urethral retro-resistance pressure and impact urethral length thereby contributing to voiding dysfunction postoperatively. The use of normal saline in this setting may have a reduction in rates and duration of postoperative urinary retention following retropubic midurethral sling placement.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • AHN Research Institute

    collaborator UNKNOWN
  • West Penn Allegheny Health System

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Lindsay Turner, MD · Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Allegheny Health Network

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
99 Years
Sex
FEMALE
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2019-11-25
Primary Completion
2024-11-14
Completion
2024-11-14
FDA Drug
Yes

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT03913845 on ClinicalTrials.gov