By Elizabeth Akincilar, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack
In May 2015 a Delaware jury ordered Boston Scientific, a medical device company, to pay a woman $100 million for pain complications following vaginal mesh placement for treatment of pelvic organ prolapse. A few months prior to that a Texas woman was awarded $73 million for similar complications. Some think that these cases are just the tip of the iceberg because many more similar cases are pending. Many companies like Johnson & Johnson have pulled some of their mesh products from the market altogether, whereas others continue to offer them.
The Offender: Mesh
Utilization of graft, traditionally a piece of living tissue that is transplanted surgically, has been used in pelvic floor reconstruction for over a century. In the beginning, grafts used in surgery to treat incontinence and prolapse were associated with a fair amount of complications. Things started to change when general surgeons began using synthetic grafts, or mesh, for hernia repairs and began getting much better outcomes. It wasn’t long before pelvic surgeons recognized the opportunity to improve their surgical outcomes and began using similar mesh products for pelvic floor conditions.
Fast forward to 1998 when the tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) mid-urethral synthetic (MUS) sling was introduced. This was a serious game changer for pelvic surgeons. Not only did it become the current gold standard for treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI), but it paved the way for the US FDA approval of transvaginal mesh prolapse repair. In 2010 approximately 210,000 synthetic slings were placed in the USA.2 Success rates were estimated at 51-99% for retropubic (behind the pubic bone) and transobturator (TOT) slings4-6.
Because of the success of the MUS slings, medical device marketing teams recognized a HUGE opportunity. It has been estimated that the prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse in women over 60 was 41.1%!1 Surgery for prolapse is performed twice as commonly as for continence surgery. That’s like 30 million potential patients!!! As you can imagine, transvaginal mesh ‘kits’ started coming out of the woodwork. CHA-CHING!!!!! In 2010 approximately 75,000 women underwent transvaginal mesh placement for POP.2
The Complaints
Unfortunately, using mesh in surgeries for both incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse had some serious repercussions.
One study reviewed the complication rates for mid-urethral synthetic (MUS) slings for urinary incontinence between 1995 and 2007, and reported 4.3 – 75.1% for retropubic slings, and 10.5 -31.3% for transobturator (TOT) MUS. The retropubic approach had a higher occurrence for bladder injury versus the TOT approach which reported more groin pain. However, pelvic pain and pain with intercourse has been reported in up to 24% following MUS slings. Another major concern after MUS surgery is urinary function. Some women report severe difficulty or inability to urinate or urinary frequency after MUS surgery. Overall, voiding dysfunction rates are estimated to be between 2.8 and 38% following a retropubic sling and 0-15.6% with the TOT approach7.
Early on, the results of transvaginal mesh looked promising for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in a few short-term studies. They were introduced to reduce recurrence as well as improve durability. Many companies began to market ‘mesh kits’ to simplify their placement transvaginally. However, serious complications started to emerge. Now it’s thought that the studies were not rigorous enough and many of the complications surfaced after the duration of the trial protocols.
The complications included mesh extrusion, also called erosion or exposure, as well as infection and pain. Mesh extrusion is when the mesh is exposed within the vaginal canal. The Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Canada reported a mesh erosion rate of 5-19%. Another study from the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons reported an erosion rate of synthetic mesh to be 10.3%. The symptoms of mesh erosion include vaginal discharge, vaginal pain, pain with intercourse, or pain experienced by the sexual partner. Pain with intercourse, or dyspareunia, has been reported at rates of up to 38% following transvaginal mesh placement8. Mesh actually causing infectious complications is relatively rare.
The Contributing Factors
It is unclear exactly what the contributing factors are of these devastating complications. Some ideas include poor surgical technique, deficient training, infection, patient factors, or an inherent defect of the synthetic material. In addition, there are still lots of unanswered questions regarding vaginal tissue, the aging process and how the mesh affects the vaginal wall healing and inflammatory responses. Other potential risk factors include concomitant hysterectomy, advanced patient age, smoking and diabetes mellitus.
What actually leads to the pain after mesh placement is likely multifactorial. It is thought to be a combination of nerve or muscle damage/entrapment and/or tension on the vagina or surrounding structures as a result of retraction (shortening) of the mesh, scarring, or chronic inflammatory response to the mesh.
The FDA’s response
Some of these complications were found to be irreversible and debilitating which lead to two FDA notifications in 2008 and 2011. In 2008 the FDA released a Public Health Notification in response to the complications related to surgical mesh. In 2011 the FDA Safety Communication stated that the complications ‘are NOT rare’ and the ‘transvaginally placed mesh in POP repairs does NOT conclusively improve clinical outcomes over traditional non-mesh repairs’. Their aim was to educate the public and healthcare providers about mesh and provide recommendations for informed decision-making. In fact, the FDA published a list of questions patients were encouraged to ask their surgeons prior to undergoing vaginal mesh placement as well as recommendations following surgery. Here’s a few examples of the pre and post mesh placement questions recommended by the FDA. You can find the complete list of the recommended questions.
Recommended preoperative questions:
- Why do you think I am a good candidate for surgical mesh?
- What are the pros and cons of mesh in my particular case?
- How likely is it that my repair could be successfully performed without surgical mesh?
- If surgical mesh is to be used, how often have you implanted this particular product? What results have your other patients had with this product?
- What can I expect to feel after surgery and for how long?
- If I develop a complication, will you treat it or will I be referred to a specialist experienced with surgical mesh complications?
Recommendations for postoperative care:
- Notify healthcare provider if you have any of the following:
- Persistent vaginal bleeding or discharge
- Pelvic or groin pain
- Pain with sex
- Post-operative pelvic floor physical therapy
- Many women with pelvic organ prolapse can benefit from pelvic floor physical therapy to improve their musculoskeletal function, decrease certain pains, and help restore normal bladder, bowel, and sexual function. Often times, pre and post-operative physical therapy is not offer to patients and it should be. Click for more information.
Treatment Options
For complications with a MUS sling in some women, either complete or partial removal of the sling is the only effective treatment. Removing the sling can be challenging for the surgeon and the extent of tissue damage is often unknown. Other possible treatment strategies include pelvic floor physical therapy, pain medications, and nerve blocks.
In women experiencing vaginal mesh exposure, treatment options include observation, use of topical estrogen or antiseptics, systemic or topical antibiotics, office-based trimming of the extruded material, and partial mesh excision or total mesh excision. Medical management alone with antibiotics, antiseptics and topical estrogen yield low success rates. Office-based mesh excision can be challenging due to limited visualization and discomfort for the patient. A more formal mesh excision, often a total excision, is preferred.
One study looked at 481 patients who underwent vaginal mesh revision. After mesh excision/revision surgery, 73% reported an improvement in pain, 19% experienced no change in pain, and 8% reported an increase in pain. Patients with prior chronic pelvic pain were significantly less likely to experience improvement in pain symptoms.3
Mesh excision has possible complications of its own. If the mesh was placed closer to the front of the vagina, excising it can injure the bladder or urethra. If the mesh was placed towards the back of the vagina, removing it could cause damage to the bowel.
The Mesh Hunter
Gynecologist and pelvic surgeon, Mark Conway, MD, commonly surgically excises vaginal mesh for women experiencing pelvic pain. During a brief interview, he gave us his two cents on mesh. Full disclosure, he has served as a plaintiff’s expert witness on mesh liability cases.
How do you determine who is a good candidate for surgical mesh removal?
Essentially, any patient with mesh that has pain is a potential candidate for surgical excision. However, an examination is essential. Upon vaginal exam, if palpation of the mesh causes pain, especially if it reproduces the pain the patient is complaining of, that is a good indicator that removing it would likely decrease or eliminate the pain.
How many surgical mesh removals have you performed?
200-300
What are the greatest challenges in surgically removing mesh?
It is easier to remove a completely intact mesh versus one that has been previously surgically revised. The transobturator mesh is more difficult to remove because the material is much more difficult to get to. Also concerning the TOT mesh, it can be very difficult to locate in the groin. Another challenge is removing mesh that goes through the sacrospinous ligament, as is used in some repairs for pelvic organ prolapse. Lastly, mesh can get fibrotic and adherent, essentially stuck, to the bladder, urethra and bowel, which can be challenging to remove.
What are the greatest risks involved in mesh excision?
Bleeding can be a risk because the area is so vascular. Also wound infection and damage to the urethra, bladder and/or bowel are also risks.
How often have your patients already undergone a surgical mesh removal before consulting you?
80% of the patients that come to see me have already undergone at least one surgical mesh revision, and often they are on their 3rd or 4th procedure. In fact, patients are often told that their mesh had already been removed or can’t be removed any further, yet I am almost always able to find and remove additional mesh.
Do you utilize mesh in SUI and/or POP treatment?
I do not utilize transvaginal mesh for POP. I only perform a laparoscopic approach. I don’t place midurethral slings, but I will refer patients to a urologist to have it done.
Although surgeons and clinicians are recommended to report mesh and device complications, adverse events are underreported and the reporting process can be time consuming and is completely voluntary. Until a national registry exists, recognition of device-associated complications will be further delayed and not reported in the literature, thus exposing even more patients to these risks. Until then, I encourage women to do their homework before considering a mesh placement procedure. Find a surgeon who has performed many of these procedures and utilize the FDA’s recommended list of questions before you commit to surgery.
- Hendrix SL, Clark A, Nygaard I, Aragaki A, Barnabei V, McTiernan A. Pelvic organ prolapse in the Women’s Health Initiative: gravity and gravidity. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2002;186(6):1160–1166
- US Food and DRug Administration (2011) FDA safety communication: update on serious complications associated with transvaginal placement of surgical mesh for pelvic organ prolapse 13 May 2013.
- Danford JM et al. Postoperative pain outcomes after transvaginal mesh revision. Int Urogynecol J (2015) 26:65-69.
- Serati M, Ghezzi F, Cattoni E, et al. Tension-free vaginal tape for the treatment of urodynamic stress incontinence: efficacy and adverse effects at 10-year follow up. Eur Urol 2012;61(5):939-46 17.
- Ward K, Hilton P; Group UaITT. A prospective multicenter randomized trial of tension-free vaginal tape and colposuspension for primary urodynamic stress incontinence: two-year follow-up. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2004;190:324-31 •• First randomized controlled trial between TVT and Burch colposuspension. .
- Ogah J, Cody J, Rogerson L. Minimally invasive synthetic suburethral sling operations for stress urinary incontinence in women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2009;4:CD006375 19. B
- Kasturi S, Hale DS. “J” cut of sling for postoperative voiding dysfunction following synthetic midurethral slings. Int Urogynecol J 2011;22(8):933-6
- Bako A, Dhar R. Review of synthetic mesh-related complications in pelvic floor reconstructive surgery. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct 2009;20(1):103-11
FAQ
What are pelvic floor muscles?
The pelvic floor muscles are a group of muscles that run from the coccyx to the pubic bone. They are part of the core, helping to support our entire body as well as providing support for the bowel, bladder and uterus. These muscles help us maintain bowel and bladder control and are involved in sexual pleasure and orgasm. The technical name of the pelvic floor muscles is the Levator Ani muscle group. The pudendal nerve, the levator ani nerve, and branches from the S2 – S4 nerve roots innervate the pelvic floor muscles. They are under voluntary and autonomic control, which is a unique feature only they possess compared to other muscle groups.
What is pelvic floor physical therapy?
Pelvic floor physical therapy is a specialized area of physical therapy. Currently, physical therapists need advanced post-graduate education to be able to help people with pelvic floor dysfunction because pelvic floor disorders are not yet being taught in standard physical therapy curricula. The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center provides extensive training for our staff because we recognize the limitations of physical therapy education in this unique area.
What happens at pelvic floor therapy?
During an evaluation for pelvic floor dysfunction the physical therapist will take a detailed history. Following the history the physical therapist will leave the room to allow the patient to change and drape themselves. The physical therapist will return to the room and using gloved hands will perform an external and internal manual assessment of the pelvic floor and girdle muscles. The physical therapist will once again leave the room and allow the patient to dress. Following the manual examination there may also be an examination of strength, motor control, and overall biomechanics and neuromuscular control. The physical therapist will then communicate the findings to the patient and together with their patient they establish an assessment, short term and long term goals and a treatment plan. Typically people with pelvic floor dysfunction are seen one time per week for one hour for varying amounts of time based on the severity and chronicity of the disease. A home exercise program will be established and the physical therapist will help coordinate other providers on the treatment team. Typically patients are seen for 3 months to a year.
What is pudendal neuralgia and how is it treated?
Pudendal Neuralgia is a clinical diagnosis that means pain in the sensory distribution of the pudendal nerve. The pudendal nerve is a mixed nerve that exits the S2 – S4 sacral nerve roots, we have a right and left pudendal nerve and each side has three main trunks: the dorsal branch, the perineal branch, and the inferior rectal branch. The branches supply sensation to the clitoris/penis, labia/scrotum, perineum, anus, the distal ⅓ of the urethra and rectum, and the vulva and vestibule. The nerve branches also control the pelvic floor muscles. The pudendal nerve follows a tortuous path through the pelvic floor and girdle, leaving it vulnerable to compression and tension injuries at various points along its path.
Pudendal Neuralgia occurs when the nerve is unable to slide, glide and move normally and as a result, people experience pain in some or all of the above-mentioned areas. Pelvic floor physical therapy plays a crucial role in identifying the mechanical impairments that are affecting the nerve. The physical therapy treatment plan is designed to restore normal neural function. Patients with pudendal neuralgia require pelvic floor physical therapy and may also benefit from medical management that includes pharmaceuticals and procedures such as pudendal nerve blocks or botox injections.
What is interstitial cystitis and how is it treated?
Interstitial Cystitis is a clinical diagnosis characterized by irritative bladder symptoms such as urinary urgency, frequency, and hesitancy in the absence of infection. Research has shown the majority of patients who meet the clinical definition have pelvic floor dysfunction and myalgia. Therefore, the American Urologic Association recommends pelvic floor physical therapy as first-line treatment for Interstitial Cystitis. Patients will benefit from pelvic floor physical therapy and may also benefit from pharmacologic management or medical procedures such as bladder instillations.
Who is the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Team?
The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center was founded by Elizabeth Akincilar and Stephanie Prendergast in 2006, they have been treating people with pelvic floor disorders since 2001. They were trained and mentored by a medical doctor and quickly became experts in treating pelvic floor disorders. They began creating courses and sharing their knowledge around the world. They expanded to 11 locations in the United States and developed a residency style training program for their employees with ongoing weekly mentoring. The physical therapists who work at PHRC have undergone more training than the majority of pelvic floor physical therapists and as a result offer efficient and high quality care.
How many years of experience do we have?
Stephanie and Liz have 24 years of experience and help each and every team member become an expert in the field through their training and mentoring program.
Why PHRC versus anyone else?
PHRC is unique because of the specific focus on pelvic floor disorders and the leadership at our company. We are constantly lecturing, teaching, and staying ahead of the curve with our connections to medical experts and emerging experts. As a result, we are able to efficiently and effectively help our patients restore their pelvic health.
Do we treat men for pelvic floor therapy?
The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center is unique in that the Cofounders have always treated people of all genders and therefore have trained the team members and staff the same way. Many pelvic floor physical therapists focus solely on people with vulvas, this is not the case here.
Do I need pelvic floor therapy forever?
The majority of people with pelvic floor dysfunction will undergo pelvic floor physical therapy for a set amount of time based on their goals. Every 6 -8 weeks goals will be re-established based on the physical improvements and remaining physical impairments. Most patients will achieve their goals in 3 – 6 months. If there are complicating medical or untreated comorbidities some patients will be in therapy longer.
Comments
I have had two surgeries to remove mesh placed for pop . The mesh went through my bladder wall, and upon awaking from that extensive surgery with excruciating pain which has been diagnosed with pudendal nerve pain. I underwent 2 years of treatment such as trigger point injections, Botox , pelvic PT without any control of pain I agreed to a 2nd surgery where more mesh and a mesh anchor were removed. I’m now going to UCSF pain management for nerve blocks which are not providing long lasting relief. I also have been working with a great MFR therapist who does internal work . I do not want to rely on pills for relief! Any other suggestions because I refuse to give in to this!
Author Liz Akincilar says:
Hi Tina,
I’m sorry that you’ve had to go through all of that. My first suggestions would be to go to a gyn surgeon who specializes in mesh excision. Many surgeons who say that they removed the mesh only end up removing part of it and not all of it. There are very few surgeons who will remove all of it. The surgeon I interviewed in the blog post, Mark Conway, MD, is one of those surgeons who will remove all of it and does these types of surgeries a lot. Otherwise, I would continue with the PT as long as you’re making progress. Medications can be helpful, don’t completely rule them out if you haven’t tried them already.
I hope this helps!
Best,
Liz
This subject matter will not see the light of day with main stream media – they don’t want to lose the advertising dollars from Big Pharma. Thousands and thousands of women are injured as a result of mesh used for SUI and POP. Not just in this country, but in Britain, Scotland, Canada, Australia etc. Some mesh manufacturers have offered settlements to the women they have harmed, but not all. Johnson and Johnson is the biggest offender. I attended a trial where J&J was the defendant and I was shocked by the evidence against them. Spread the word – “Mesh hurts women”!
Thank you Ms. Rummer for this article. My hope is that women will do their research before allowing mesh to be put in their bodies. Kudos to you for bringing this subject out in the open
Thank you for this article. I suffered major complications after a “minor” procedure for stress incontinence, and a TOT sling implant. It almost crippled me. I flew from NY to CA to go to one of the few experts that could/would remove the mesh embedded and eroding through my groin. What kills me, is that they are STILL putting this HIGH risk material in so many – as fast as they can. Diana said that people should do their research beforehand – but that is next to impossible because so many doctors are NOT giving all the facts upfront. Or even giving completely INCORRECT information, that usually comes from the mesh manufacturers. Women listen to their doctors… and, they are being told that the “new” slings are “tape”, not mesh. Bull! Tape IS mesh. They are told it’s quick & easy, low risk, and not the “bad mesh” that has problems & lawsuits. Wrong! They are told that it’s only mesh used for prolapse causing problems. More BS! So NOT right. =(
I recently visited the gyno that put in my tvt tape. He said that the pubic pain and swelling good not be from the tape because it was put in in 2008 and that my body would have rejected it sooner. A chiropractor said my pain was due to a misaligned pelvis. He adjusted it . I was hopeful but the pain did not subside . It is difficult for me to bend. I used to be active but am no longer able to do what I used to do . I have become very depressed. Please help me!
Author Elizabeth Akincilar says:
Hi Lorna,
I’m sorry you’re experiencing these symptoms. Unfortunately I am unable to determine whether the mesh is causing your current symptoms or if it’s coming from something else. It does seem a little unlikely that the mesh would start causing pain 8+ years later, but maybe that’s possible. I’m really unsure. I would recommend seeking a consultation from a pelvic floor physical therapist to gain better insight on what the cause or causes of your symptoms may be. I hope you find some relief!