Does Cystocele Repair Improve Overactive Bladder Symptoms?

It is well known that overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms are common in women who present for treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and urinary incontinence (UI). Despite many studies showing that OAB is common in women who suffer from POP, there is no clear data to explain the causal relationship between OAB and POP. Although it has been theorized that repair of anterior compartment prolapse may improve OAB symptoms, the data is limited by the lack of clinical studies focusing on isolated anterior compartment repairs. There is data to suggest, however, that OAB symptoms can improve after prolapse repair, but as of yet, there have been no clear predictive factors that have been elucidated. Thus, it is reasonable to counsel women with OAB symptoms undergoing anterior compartment repair, or any isolated prolapse repair, that their OAB symptoms may or may not improve after prolapse repair.