Surgical management of pelvic organ prolapse.

Despite pelvic organ prolapse being a universal problem experienced in nearly 50% of parous women, the surgical management of vaginal prolapse remains an enigma to many, with wide variation in the rates and types of intervention performed. As part of the 6th International Consultation on Incontinence (ICI) our committee, charged with producing an evidence-based report on the surgical management of prolapse, produced a pathway for the surgical management of prolapse. The 2017 ICI surgical management of prolapse evidence-based pathway will be presented and summarized. Weaknesses of the data and pathway will be discussed and avenues for future research proposed.

Laparoscopic versus open Burch colposuspension: a randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare perioperative characteristics, short-term, and long-term outcomes for laparoscopic Burch colposuspension (LBC) and open Burch colposuspension (OBC) for the treatment of urinary stress incontinence. DESIGN: Randomised surgical trial with single blinding. SETTING: Three tertiary level teaching hospitals involving seven surgeons of varying skill levels. POPULATION: Two hundred women with urodynamic stress incontinence (USI). METHODS: The two groups were treated in identical fashion, except for the laparoscopic or open approach to surgery. Attempts were made to blind the subjects and the observers obtaining outcome data to treatment group. Analyses were adjusted for surgeon experience. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Absence of USI 6 months following surgery, postoperative pain, time spent in hospital, and time to return to activities of normal daily living. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in objective and subjective measures of cure and in patient satisfaction at 6 months, 24 months, or 3-5 years of follow up between laparoscopic and open colposuspension groups. Laparoscopic colposuspension took longer time to perform (87 versus 42 minutes, P< 0.0001) but was associated with less blood loss (P = 0.03), less pain (P = 0.02), and quicker return to normal activities (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: LBC has significant advantages over traditional OBC, without any apparent compromise in short-term and long-term outcomes. To compare perioperative characteristics, short-term, and long-term outcomes for laparoscopic Burch colposuspension (LBC) and open Burch colposuspension (OBC) for the treatment of urinary stress incontinence. Randomised surgical trial with single blinding. Three tertiary level teaching hospitals involving seven surgeons of varying skill levels. Two hundred women with urodynamic stress incontinence (USI). The two groups were treated in identical fashion, except for the laparoscopic or open approach to surgery. Attempts were made to blind the subjects and the observers obtaining outcome data to treatment group. Analyses were adjusted for surgeon experience. Absence of USI 6 months following surgery, postoperative pain, time spent in hospital, and time to return to activities of normal daily living. There were no significant differences in objective and subjective measures of cure and in patient satisfaction at 6 months, 24 months, or 3-5 years of follow up between laparoscopic and open colposuspension groups. Laparoscopic colposuspension took longer time to perform (87 versus 42 minutes, P < 0.0001) but was associated with less blood loss (P= 0.03), less pain (P= 0.02), and quicker return to normal activities (P= 0.01). LBC has significant advantages over traditional OBC, without any apparent compromise in short-term and long-term outcomes.

Iliococcygeus or sacrospinous fixation for vaginal vault prolapse.

OBJECTIVE: To compare iliococcygeus (prespinous) and sacrospinous fixation for vaginal vault prolapse. METHODS: Between 1994 and 1998, 78 women underwent sacrospinous colpopexy and 50 underwent iliococcygeus fixation for the management of symptomatic vaginal vault prolapse. A matched case-control study was designed to compare the two approaches. The matched variables included age, parity, body mass index, degree of vault prolapse, menopause, sexual activity, constipation, previous prolapse or continence surgery, stress incontinence, and length of review. Thirty-six matched pairs were isolated, resulting in a study with a power of 50% to detect a 20% difference in the success rates between the two groups. RESULTS: The subjective success rate for the iliococcygeus group was 91%; it was 94% for the sacrospinous group (P =.73). The objective success rate was 53% and 67% (P =.36), and the patient satisfaction with surgery was 78 of 100 and 91 of 100 (P =.01) on a visual analogue scale. The mean length of postoperative follow-up was 21 months for the iliococcygeus group and 19 months for the sacrospinous group (P =.52). The recovery time was 54 days in the iliococcygeus group and 39 days in the sacrospinous group (P =.04). No significant difference was seen in the incidence of postoperative cystoceles or damage to the pudendal neurovascular bundle. CONCLUSION: Sacrospinous and iliococcygeus fixation are equally effective procedures for vaginal vault prolapse and have similar rates of postoperative cystocele, buttock pain, and hemorrhage requiring transfusion. The sacrospinous ligament fixation should not be discarded in favor of the iliococcygeus fixation in the management of vaginal vault prolapse.

Laparoscopic suture hysteropexy for uterine prolapse.

OBJECTIVE: Vaginal hysterectomy remains the accepted surgical treatment for women with uterine prolapse. The Manchester repair is favored in women wishing uterine preservation. Vaginal hysterectomy alone fails to address the pathologic cause of the uterine prolapse. The Manchester repair has a high failure rate and may cause difficulty sampling the cervix and uterus in the future. The laparoscopic suture hysteropexy offers physiologic repair of uterine prolapse. METHOD: At the laparoscopic suture hysteropexy, the pouch of Douglas is closed and the uterosacral ligaments are plicated and reattached to the cervix. RESULTS: Forty-three women with symptomatic uterine prolapse were prospectively evaluated and underwent laparoscopic suture hysteropexy with a mean follow-up of 12 +/- 7 months (range 6-32). The mean operating time for the laparoscopic suture hysteropexy alone was 42 +/- 15 minutes (range 22-121), and the mean blood loss was less than 50 mL. On review, 35 women (81%) had no symptoms of prolapse and 34 (79%) had no objective evidence of uterine prolapse. Two women subsequently completed term pregnancies and were without prolapse. Both underwent elective cesarean delivery. CONCLUSION: The laparoscopic suture hysteropexy is effective and safe in the management of symptomatic uterine prolapse. The result is physiologically correct, without disfiguring the cervix. This may be an appropriate procedure for women with uterine prolapse wishing uterine preservation.

Percutaneous sacral nerve root neuromodulation for intractable interstitial cystitis.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the efficacy of percutaneous sacral nerve root neuromodulation in women with refractory interstitial cystitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We prospectively evaluated 15 consecutive women with a mean age of 62 years who had refractory interstitial cystitis to determine the efficacy of percutaneous stimulation of the S3 sacral roots. The mean duration of symptoms before evaluation was 5.2 years. All women fulfilled the National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases criteria for the diagnosis of interstitial cystitis and were unresponsive to standard oral or intravesical therapy. The response to treatment was assessed using pain scores, urinary diary variables and quality of life surveys. RESULTS: Mean voided volume during treatment increased from 90 to 143 ml. (p <0.001). Mean daytime frequency and nocturia decreased from 20 to 11 and 6 to 2 times (p = 0.012 and 0.007, respectively). Mean bladder pain decreased from 8.9 to 2.4 points on a scale of 0 to 10 (p <0.001). As indicated by the Short Urinary Distress Inventory and SF-36 Health Survey, the quality of life parameters of social functioning, bodily pain and general health significantly improved during the stimulation period. Of the women 73% requested to proceed to complete sacral nerve root implantation. CONCLUSION: Women with intractable interstitial cystitis respond favorably to percutaneous sacral stimulation with significant improvement in pelvic pain, daytime frequency, nocturia, urgency and average voided volume. Permanent sacral implantation may be an effective treatment modality in refractory interstitial cystitis but further long-term evaluation is required.

Oral methotrexate in the management of refractory interstitial cystitis.

To establish the safety and efficacy of low-dose oral methotrexate in treating refractory interstitial cystitis, 9 women who fulfilled internationally accepted criteria for the diagnosis of interstitial cystitis were enrolled in a prospective study. All had proven unresponsive to conventional treatment modalities. Assessment by pain score and frequency volume charts was performed pretreatment and up to 6 months during therapy. No significant adverse side effects were noted. At the end of follow-up, 4 women had noted a subjective improvement in bladder pain and wished to continue on methotrexate, 4 women noted little change and 1 woman reported a worsening of symptoms. Overall there was a significant reduction in pain score (p = 0.047) posttreatment. However, there was no significant difference in urinary frequency per 24 hours (p = 0.40), maximum voided volume (p = 0.089) or mean voided volume (p = 0.59). Methotrexate significantly improved bladder pain in women with interstitial cystitis, although no significant change was found in voiding pattern.

Abnormal cervical cytology leading to the diagnosis of a primary serous adenocarcinoma of the peritoneum.

A case is presented where abnormal cervical cytology in an asymptomatic female led to the diagnosis of a primary serous adenocarcinoma of the peritoneum. We would like to highlight the importance to the physician of a tumour diathesis on malignant cervical cytology.