Eleven RCTs, 20 non-randomised trials or prospective cohort studies, and 45 retrospective cohort studies were included.
Approximately 85% of women were continent one year after colposuspension, compared with 50 to 70% after anterior colporrhaphy (3 RCTs with 503 patients, and 11 non-randomised prospective studies with 1,478 patients) and 50 to 70% after needle suspension (2 RCTs with 519 patients, and 10 non-randomised studies with 935 patients).
No significant differences were found between colposuspension and sling procedures (4 prospective studies with 147 patients), or between anterior colporrhaphy and needle suspension (2 RCTs with 469 patients, and 5 non-randomised prospective studies with 831 patients).
Little reliable evidence is available to compare outcomes following anterior colporrhaphy and sling procedures (1 RCT, 26 patients), and to compare needle suspension and sling (1 RCT, 20 patients).
Different methods of performing colposuspension have not been shown to be associated with a significant difference in outcome (2 RCTs and 1 non-randomised prospective studies; 231 patients in total).
Different methods of performing sling procedures have not been adequately compared (1 prospective cohort study with 43 patients), whilst different methods of needle suspension have not been compared in any prospective study.