Plastic polypropylene transvaginal mesh (TVM) devices used for the surgical management of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in women are of two different designs – the transobturator sling (TOT or TVT-O) and the retropubic sling (TVT). The transobturator sling passes through the obturator space into the thigh, while the retropubic sling hammocks the urethra and exits up and out behind the pubic bone.
Despite being banned in several countries, the TVM devices used for SUI continue to be implanted in the United States. These devices are known to cause disability, sexual dysfunction, and catastrophic pain syndromes. Not only do these devices provided no added increased efficacy compared to non-mesh surgical procedures for SUI, there is little research evidence to support that these devices are safe long-term as they degrade and shrink up to 30% of original size after implantation.
Transobturator slings, cause pudendal neuralgia, obturator neuralgia, and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type 2. Retropubic slings cause injury to the pudendal nerve branch to the clitoris and cause Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type 1. These diagnoses are known for their disabling vaginal pain what makes sexual intercourse impossible, pelvic pain that reduces mobility to a sedentary level, and bowel and bladder dysfunction that may include an inability to evacuate the bowels and bladder associated with severe anorectal pain.
New injuries are being diagnosed every day caused from newly implanted slings and new injuries are being caused by devices implanted over a decade ago as they shrink and degrade resulting in traction on muscles and nerves. Other injuries include pelvic pain, groin pain, painful bladder filling, vulvar allodynia making it impossible to wear tight pants, and erosions.
Dr. Greg Vigna, practicing physician, damages expert, and national pharmaceutical injury attorney states, “The second round of litigation has begun now that the Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) is closed to ‘new cases’ caused by old and newly implanted devices.” These ‘new cases’ are being filed in state courts by attorneys he works with across the country and there will be no mass settlements at the expense of the most injured. Dr. Vigna adds, “These cases will be going on for the next twenty years, well after TVM slings are removed from the market.”
Dr. Vigna, with his coalition of leading pharmaceutical injury attorneys, represents women with neurological complications caused by TVM devices used for pelvic organ prolapse and SUI that are in the Wave proceedings in the MDL against Boston Scientific Corporation and Ethicon, Inc. and newly filed cases in State Courts.
For more information, visit https://tvm.lifecare123.com/ and for video resources visit https://tvm.lifecare123.com/page/videos.html. To learn more about the pain related to Pudendal Neuralgia, visit https://pudendalportal.lifecare123.com/.
Greg Vigna
Greg Vigna MD, JD PLC
+1 805-617-0447
