Bladder and urethral repair

Description:
Bladder and urethral repair is usually performed to prevent urine leakage associated with stress incontinence (involuntary leakage of urine when laughing, coughing , sneezing , or lifting, which can result from deformity or damage to the urethra and bladder from decreased muscle tone caused by multiple births, menopause , or other causes). This surgery is performed using general anesthesia. The bladder neck (pubococcygeal muscle ) is elevated by stitching it and the urethra to the anterior (front) pubic bone.

You will return from surgery with a foley catheter and a suprapubic catheter in place. The urine may initially appear bloody but this should gradually resolve. The suprapubic catheter may be removed several days after surgery when you are able to completely empty your bladder. Often this suprapubic catheter will need remain in place for as long as 3 months, depending on the person's ability to empty the bladder completely.

You will also return from surgery with a large abdominal dressing covering the incisional area. This dressing will remain in place for about three days. The stitches are usually removed during the first office visit after surgery. Often, you will return from surgery with a drainage tube in the lower abdominal or rectal area to drain excess fluid and blood from the abdominal cavity. This drain is usually removed about 3 days after surgery when the drainage has decreased.

Indications:
Repair of the bladder and urethra may be recommended for treatment of stress incontinence (inability to prevent urine leakage when coughing, sneezing, laughing, jumping, walking, sitting, or standing).

What to Expect After:
This surgery can be very helpful for patients with stress incontinence .

Convalescence:
The amount of time it takes to recover from surgery depends on the individual. Based on an evaluation of your health status prior to surgery, your health care provider can give you a good estimate of the recovery time.

Risks:
Risks for any anesthesia are:

Risks for any surgery are:



Cost:
The costs of any surgery varies significantly between surgeons, medical facilities, and regions of the country. Patients who are younger, sicker, or need more extensive surgery will require more intensive and expensive treatment.

Surgery charges can be separated into five parts:
1. Surgeon's fee: approximately $1,500
2. Anesthesiologist's fee: averages $350 to $400 per hour
3. Hospital charges: basic rate averages $1,500 to $1,800 per day (more for the intensive care unit (ICU) or private rooms)
4. Medication charges: $200 to $400
5. Additional charges: assisting surgeon, treatment of complications, diagnostic procedures (such as blood or X-ray exams), medical supplies, equipment use, and so on.

Insurance coverage for surgery expenses depends on many factors and should be explored for each individual instance.