RESUMEN

AIMS: Patients often turn to the Internet for information on medical conditions. We sought to evaluate the quality and readability of highly visible websites on overactive bladder (OAB). METHODS: A survey of 42 consecutive patients attending outpatient urogynecology clinics was performed to identify the most commonly used Internet search engines and search terms for information on OAB. The three most commonly used search engines (Google, Bing, and Yahoo!) were then queried using the three most commonly used search terms. The first 20 relevant websites from each search were reviewed. After excluding duplicates, 35 websites were analyzed. Website quality of information on OAB was evaluated using the DISCERN score, JAMA benchmark criteria, and Health on the Net code (HONcode) accreditation status. Readability was assessed using the Simplified Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) and Dale-Chall indices. RESULTS: Websites were classified as advertisement/commercial (31%), health portal (29%), professional (26%), patient group (6%), and other (9%). The overall mean DISCERN score was 44 ± 18 (maximum possible score of 80). Three websites (9%) met all four JAMA benchmark criteria. Seventeen percent of websites provided adequate information on content authorship and contributions. Median SMOG and Dale-Chall indices were 9.9 (IQR 9.3-11.2) and 9.0 (IQR 8.1-9.4), respectively. Nine websites (26%) were HONcode certified. CONCLUSIONS: Popular websites on OAB are of low quality, written for a high school to college-level readership, and often lack adequate information to assess the potential for commercial bias. Patients should be cautioned that incomplete and potentially biased information on OAB is prevalent online.

Asunto(s)

Internet/normas , Educación del Paciente como Asunto/normas , Vejiga Urinaria Hiperactiva , Comprensión , Humanos , Conducta en la Búsqueda de Información , Pacientes , Motor de Búsqueda/estadística & datos numéricos , Medios de Comunicación Sociales , Encuestas y Cuestionarios

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Midurethral slings are the most widely used surgical treatment for stress urinary incontinence. Complications include bladder injury, voiding dysfunction, mesh exposure/erosion, dyspareunia, and failure to correct the incontinence. Complete mesh infection is rare. CASE: A 48-year-old woman underwent a repeat retropubic tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) procedure for stress urinary incontinence. She presented eight weeks postoperatively with a tender suprapubic mass and urinary retention. A CT scan demonstrated thickening of the bladder wall and cystoscopy revealed severe inflammation with no intramural injury. The sling appeared to be infected and was removed vaginally. The patient's symptoms resolved following removal of the sling. CONCLUSION: Mesh infection following a midurethral sling procedure is rare. In suspected cases, cystoscopy should be performed to rule out bladder injury. Antibiotic therapy may be successful, but removal of the sling may be required for resolution of symptoms.