Vaginal mesh makers remain under scrutiny as women’s health advocates continue to raise awareness about the dangers of vaginal mesh implantation. “

Pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence are two serious health conditions that a vast percentage of women will face during their lifetime. With pelvic organ prolapse, a weakening of muscles in the area cause organs in the pelvic region to slip out of place. Damage to support structures in this region can also lead to stress urinary incontinence, or involuntary urine leakage. Surgery has traditionally been a heavily relied upon option for treating both conditions.

Vaginal mesh – the controversy

“In the United States, an estimated 11% of women will undergo surgery for pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence in their lifetimes.”

For more information about surgery for pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence, please visit http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3506218/.

One of the most widely administered surgical procedures for the treatment of POP and SUI, involves implantation of a transvaginal mesh device. Once highly regarded as a viable solution for alleviating related symptoms, the hidden dangers of use of the device were uncovered years after being introduced to the market. The Food and Drug Administration released safety communications in 2008 and 2011, calling into question not only the safety of mesh devices, but also their efficacy rate.

What Is the Transvaginal Mesh?

“This claim of 95% efficacy however has later been retracted by the study authors and there are now serious questions being raised about not just the efficacy but also the safety of the transvaginal mesh…There are possibly serious complications that can arise from the procedure – if the procedure is not carried out correctly or with requisite skill, it can lead to bladder perforation.”

For more information about the transvaginal mesh, please visit http://www.womenhealthzone.com/womens-health/what-is-the-transvaginal-mesh/.

The information released by the FDA helped shed light not only on the risks associated with the transvaginal mesh, but also the high rate of incidence of injury experienced by patients. Thousands of adverse events have since been reported, with the most commonly reported associated problems including:

–Mesh erosion
-Chronic pain in the pelvic region
-Bleeding from the site of the mesh
-Organ damage
-Pain during sexual intercourse
-Infection

For a number of women who experience these and other problems, surgery may be required to remove a failed device. Patients who experience mesh erosion may undergo multiple surgeries and continue to experience complications thereafter due to the inability of surgeons to completely remove all mesh components without damaging tissues or nearby organs.

Greg Vigna MD, JD, PLC can answer questions for women who have suffered a mesh injury and are unsure about their medical and legal options. The resource provides free case reviews for patients who have received a transvaginal mesh implant and are currently experiencing health issues or suspect they are at risk for developing complications and have concerns. Those who wish to receive help now can contact Greg Vigna MD, JD, PLC today.

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