Mid-urethral Slings: World Minus United States Moving to Safer Materials, Away From Polypropylene

PVDF slings offer similar success but with significantly less groin pain than polypropylene, yet remain unavailable in the U.S. despite global use

SANTA BARBARA, CA, UNITED STATES, July 1, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- “Polypropylene and PVDF slings showed similar high cure or improvement rate (91.0% ves. 95.6%)… A higher incidence of long-term pain events were observed in the polypropylene group,” states Dr. Jordi Sabadell.

Dr. Greg Vigna, vaginal mesh attorney, states, “Currently, mid-urethral slings made from PVDF are not available in the United States. Despite PVDF mid-urethral slings being available across the world and causing less chronic inflammation than polypropylene, companies such as Coloplast and Boston Scientific continue to profit from their cheap polypropylene devices. Additionally, there is another new material used in hernia mesh that causes no inflammation after 18-months."

What did a randomized polypropylene tranobturator sling versus PVDF transobturator sling show in Dr. Jordi Sabadell’s article “Polypropylene and polyvinylidene fluoride transobturator slings for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence: 1-year outcomes from a multicentre randomized trail”. Neurourology and Urodynamics. 2021: 40: 475-482?

Read Dr. Sabadell’s article: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/nau.24586

Dr. Vigna adds, “Dr. Sabadell’s article also revealed that when compared with polypropylene transobturator slings, PVDF is associated with significantly less groin pain. P4HB mesh, which has been tested outside of the United States, shows promising results. It is fully biodegradable and completely replaced by the patients' own tissue within 18 months.”

Vigna Law Group is investigating the Red Flag Warning symptoms of neurological injury from mid-urethral slings such as the Coloplast Altis device and the Boston Scientific Obtryx, including:

1) Groin pain
2) Hip pain
3) Inability to wear tight pants
4) Clitoral pain or numbness
5) Severe pain that makes vaginal penetration impossible
6) Tailbone pain
7) Anorectal pain
8) Painful bladder
9) Pain with sitting

Dr. Vigna is a California and Washington DC lawyer who focuses on catastrophic injuries and the neurological injuries caused by mid-urethral slings including pudendal neuralgia, obturator neuralgia, ilioinguinal neuralgia, and complex regional pain syndrome. Ben Martin Law Group is co-counsel and a national pharmaceutical injury attorney in Dallas, Texas. The lawyers represent women across the country.

To learn more regarding extrapelvic pain syndromes, click here.

Read a free book on Vaginal Mesh Pain: https://vignalawgroup.com/publications/

Greg Vigna, MD, JD
Vigna Law Group
+1 817-809-9023
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Facebook
Twitter