Pelvic ligament suspension surgery
Pelvic ligament suspension is the mesh-free surgical technique Gangnam Podo Women's Clinic offers for stress urinary incontinence and for pelvic organ prolapse: cystocele, rectocele and uterine prolapse. It was developed by our medical director, Dr. Mo Hyung-jin. A patent application has been filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mo Hyung-jin, MD, PhD, board-certified OB-GYN specialist · Last reviewed
Consultations in English · Private single-occupancy recovery suites · Insurance claim documents prepared
Is this for you?
- Leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh, run or lift
- A bulge or heaviness in the vagina, often worse by evening
- Difficulty emptying the bladder or bowel completely
- A previous repair or sling that has not held
- Prolapse or incontinence after childbirth or menopause
Why ligaments, and what the surgery does
Pelvic ligament suspension surgery was developed by Dr. Mo Hyung-jin, the clinic's medical director. A patent application for the technique has been filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office. The technique restores pelvic support by re-anchoring the patient's own lax pelvic ligaments. It is used for stress urinary incontinence, cystocele, rectocele and uterine prolapse.
The pelvic organs are held in place by a hammock of muscle and by connective-tissue ligaments. Anatomists describe three levels of support: at the highest level, the uterosacral and cardinal ligaments hold the cervix and upper vagina; in the middle, lateral attachments hold the vaginal walls beneath the bladder and in front of the rectum; at the lowest level, the perineal body and its muscles close the outlet. Childbirth, ageing, oestrogen loss and chronic straining stretch these ligaments. When they lengthen, the bladder neck drops (stress incontinence), the front wall bulges (cystocele), the back wall bulges (rectocele) or the uterus descends (uterine prolapse).
Operations work at different points: a sling is placed under the urethra to support it directly, or the stretched vaginal wall is folded and stitched. Pelvic ligament suspension is directed at the ligaments themselves. The lax supports are shortened and re-anchored so that the organ is held from above again, using the patient's own tissue.
Because the same principle applies to several conditions, one operation can often address more than one problem when they occur together. Whether that is the case for you is decided at consultation, after examination and measurement.
The six steps
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01
Consultation and measurement
Pelvic examination, vaginal endoscopy imaging, ultrasound and, where relevant, measurement of vaginal laxity. We tell you which level of support has failed and what we propose. -
02
Pre-operative check-up
Blood and urine tests and a review of your medications and past surgery. -
03
Anesthesia
Planned for the procedure and for you under the clinic's four-step protocol. -
04
Surgery
Performed in the clinic's operating room. Operating time depends on how many areas are repaired. -
05
Recovery suite
In a private single-occupancy recovery suite, with an overnight stay where your plan includes one. -
06
Check-up, documents, follow-up
A check-up before you travel, discharge instructions in English, insurance documents, and a 24-hour nurse line.
Anesthesia follows a four-step protocol tailored to the procedure and the patient. Anesthesia is planned per patient. Tell us about previous anesthesia experiences and current medications during pre-consultation.
For international patients
Consultations are available in English. We prepare the documents international insurers typically require: an itemized English receipt, a medical certificate, procedure codes and a completed claim form. Send us your history and any operative notes from earlier surgery and we will reply with a written plan. Plan for 5 to 10 days in Seoul. The written plan usually covers consultation and tests, the operation, an overnight stay in the clinic where your procedure includes one, and a check-up before you fly.
Who performs it
Dr. Mo Hyung-jin, Medical Director
- Board-certified OB-GYN specialist
- MD, Yonsei University College of Medicine; OB-GYN residency, Severance Hospital, Seoul
- Fellow, International College of Surgeons (Korea Section), 2016
Questions
Is this the same as bladder sling surgery (TOT/TVT)?
No. A mid-urethral sling places a strip of material under the urethra. Pelvic ligament suspension re-anchors the ligaments that support the bladder neck and vaginal walls. We describe the differences factually on a separate page. The clinic performs both operations for stress urinary incontinence: pelvic ligament suspension, which uses the patient's own ligaments without synthetic mesh, and the mid-urethral synthetic mesh sling. Which one suits you is decided after examination and measurement.
Can incontinence and prolapse be corrected in one operation?
Often, when both are present, because the same supports are involved. Whether that applies to you is decided after examination.
Who performs pelvic ligament suspension?
Dr. Mo Hyung-jin, the clinic's medical director, who developed the technique. He was elected a Fellow of the International College of Surgeons (Korea Section) in obstetrics and gynecology in 2016, and he has written books on women's health and female genital aesthetic surgery.
What does 'patent filed' mean?
A patent application has been submitted to the Korean Intellectual Property Office and is under examination. We will update this page if and when it is granted.
Does pelvic ligament suspension use mesh?
No. The technique uses the patient's own ligaments and sutures, without synthetic mesh.
Sources
About the reviewer
Dr. Mo Hyung-jin, MD, PhD, board-certified OB-GYN specialist, is the medical director of Podo Women's Clinic. He developed the pelvic ligament suspension technique used at the clinic for stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. Profile
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Gangnam Podo Women's Clinic
2F, 428 Gangnam-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Mon–Fri 10:00–19:00 · Sat 10:00–17:00
Closed Sundays and public holidays