The aim of this study was to compare the results of open retropubic (OC) and laparoscopic (LC) colposuspension to the Cooper's ligament (Burch operation). We matched retrospectively 72 LC and OC subjects according to their ages, the type of associated operations and the clinical stages of their urinary incontinence. We excluded associated prolapsus, previous surgical procedure for urinary incontinence, maximal urethral closure pressure lower than 30 cm of water, and instability of the detrusor. We estimated the comparability of our two series for other criteria which have an effect upon the postoperative results in the literature. The mean follow-up was 17 months for LC and 46 months for OC. LC operative time was longer than OC (mean: LC, 89 min; OC, 42 min), women considered LC less painful than OC. They needed less postoperative analgesia, mostly given only just the day of the procedure. LC length of hospitalization and return to normal activity was shorter than OC (mean: LC, 3 days; OC, 6.7 days; LC, 15 days; OC, 21 days). The graphs of the subjective cure and improvement rates made according to the Kaplan-Meier method could be compared with the log rank test (cure after 1 year: LC 79%; OC 69%; improvement after 1 year: LC 85%; OC 82%; cure after 2 years: LC 68%; OC 64%; improvement after 2 years: LC 80%; OC 75%).