Vascular injury during tension-free vaginal tape procedure for stress urinary incontinence.

BACKGROUND: Tension-free vaginal tape procedure is a popular surgical treatment of genuine stress urinary incontinence. CASES: Two cases of retropubic hematoma after tension-free vaginal tape procedure are reported. One woman with an 8 x 10 cm hematoma localized to the retropubic space required transfusion of two units of packed red blood cells for symptomatic relief. Neither case required reoperation, and both patients' hematomas resolved over 6 months without treatment. Both patients were continent 9-12 months after surgery. CONCLUSION: Although the tension-free vaginal tape procedure is a minimally invasive operation for stress urinary incontinence and appears to be effective, significant vascular complications can result.

Assessment of laparoscopic injuries by three methods.

OBJECTIVE: To compare laparoscopic, gross, and fluorescent assessment of laparoscopic pelvic injuries. DESIGN: Experimental prospective study. SETTING: Cleveland Clinic Foundation Animal Research Laboratory, Cleveland, Ohio. ANIMAL(S): Nonpregnant adult female pigs. INTERVENTION(S): Pelvic organs injured with laparoscopic energy sources were assessed laparoscopically, grossly, and with a fluorescent indicator and Wood's lamp. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Three different measurements of each laparoscopic injury. RESULT(S): Assessment of injuries by laparoscopy did not differ significantly from gross assessment of injuries. In the segments of bowel and bladder that were injured with monopolar cautery, the Wood's lamp assessment of the injuries was significantly longer than the laparoscopic assessment of the injuries. CONCLUSION(S): Laparoscopic assessment of injured ureters, bowel, and bladder appear to be similar to gross assessment of these tissues. In tissue where the serosal surface is intact, the use of a fluorescent dye and a Wood's lamp provides a clear margin of the injured tissue.

Enterocele: is there a histologic defect?

OBJECTIVE: To examine the histology of the vaginal wall in women with an enterocele confirmed by physical examination, cystoproctography, and intraoperative exploration. METHODS: Thirteen women with posthysterectomy apical and posterior wall prolapse were evaluated with a detailed physical examination, cystoproctography, and intraoperative exploration. All women had enterocele repair. A specimen of full thickness vaginal wall from the leading edge of the enterocele was excised and examined histologically. The histology of these patients was compared with the histology of two comparison groups, five women undergoing hysterectomy without prolapse and 13 women undergoing radical hysterectomy. RESULTS: One woman with an enterocele repaired intraoperatively did not have an enterocele by cystoproctography. One woman with an enterocele repaired intraoperatively did not have an enterocele detected by physical examination. All women with an enterocele repaired had an intact vaginal wall muscularis. No woman had vaginal wall epithelium in direct contact with the peritoneum. The average vaginal wall muscularis thickness in women with enteroceles was 3.5 +/- 1.4 mm, in women with no prolapse 3.2 +/- 0.8 mm, and in women undergoing radical hysterectomy 2.8 +/- 0.9 mm. CONCLUSION: Women with enteroceles have a well-defined vaginal muscularis between the peritoneum and vaginal epithelium.

Functional and anatomic follow-up of enterocele repairs.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the functional and anatomic outcomes in women who have surgery for pelvic organ prolapse with enterocele repair. METHODS: Fifty-four women had surgery for pelvic organ prolapse which included enterocele repair. Preoperative and postoperative examinations were done by a research nurse, including a pelvic examination using the International Continence Society staging system and standardized questionnaires about bowel function, sexual function, and prolapse symptoms. RESULTS: Fifty-four women had enterocele repairs as part of their surgery. Mean follow-up time was 16 months (range 6-29 months). Postoperatively five women were excluded from the analysis because of fluctuation in stage of prolapse over time. At the apex and posterior wall of the vagina, 33 women had stage 0 or I prolapse, and 16 had stage II prolapse. None had stage III or IV prolapse. Fifty-three percent of women had improvement in bowel function and 91% had improvement in vaginal prolapse symptoms. Functional outcomes were not significantly different in women with and without stage II prolapse at follow-up. CONCLUSION: Most women who had surgery for pelvic organ prolapse with enterocele repair reported improvement in vaginal prolapse symptoms. Functional outcomes did not differ significantly between women with stage 0 and I prolapse and women with stage II prolapse at the vaginal apex and posterior vaginal wall. This was an observational study and the lack of statistically significant findings could result from inadequate sample size; however, the observed differences were judged to be not clinically significant.

Laparoscopic repair of ureteral injuries.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcome of laparoscopic repair of pelvic ureter injuries. DESIGN: Retrospective case series (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). SETTING: Large urban tertiary care medical center. PATIENTS: Four women who had pelvic ureter injuries and laparoscopic repair during laparoscopic gynecologic procedures. INTERVENTION: Laparoscopic ureteroureterostomy. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: All injuries were identified immediately and repaired laparoscopically. No patient required repeat surgery. On assessment by physical examination, serum creatinine, and intravenous urogram, no patient had evidence of renal insufficiency. One woman had a narrowing at the site of ureteroureterostomy 6 weeks after repair; it was resolved on urogram 8 months after the injury. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic ureteroureterostomy is feasible in some cases of ureteral injury. Experience with laparoscopic suturing is necessary to perform this procedure.

Gross and histologic characteristics of laparoscopic injuries with four different energy sources.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the gross and histologic effects of bipolar and monopolar cautery, ultrasonic scalpel, and CO(2) laser on porcine ureter, bladder, and rectum. DESIGN: Experimental prospective study. SETTING: Cleveland Clinic Foundation Animal Research Laboratory, Cleveland, Ohio. ANIMAL(S): Nonpregnant adult female pigs. INTERVENTION(S): The rectum, bladder, and ureters of 12 female pigs were injured with four different laparoscopic energy sources. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Gross measurements of injured tissue and histologic analysis of the depth of the tissue injury. RESULT(S): Gross assessment results were that monopolar injuries of the bowel and bladder were significantly longer than ultrasonic injuries (P<0.01). Injuries were generally manifest as coagulative denaturation of collagen bundles. This resulted in an eosinophilic homogenization of tissue. Nuclei were retained in the injured tissue, although in most cases they had a pyknotic, streamed appearance. The CO(2) laser caused no deep-tissue injury. CONCLUSION(S): Laparoscopic energy sources injure tissue differently. Monopolar cautery appears to have the most lateral spread of thermal energy. The CO(2) laser appears to cause the least deep-tissue injury.

Laparoscopic repair of ureteral transection.

Injury to the ureter is a possible complication of laparoscopic surgery. Traditionally, it is repaired by laparotomy. During laparoscopic surgery for bilateral ovarian remnants in a 29-year-old woman, the left ureter was transected. The ureter was repaired by primary end-to-end anastomosis by laparoscopy. The patient recovered uneventfully, and postoperative intravenous puelogram confirmed the repair to be intact.

Intraoperative cystoscopy in conjunction with anti-incontinence surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of lower urinary tract injury detected by routine intraoperative cystoscopy after anti-incontinence surgery. METHODS: We reviewed charts from women who had anti-incontinence surgery and routine intraoperative cystoscopy done by a single surgeon from June 1, 1995, to June 1, 1998, and assessed preoperative and intraoperative variables. RESULTS: We reviewed 351 patient records. Four records were incomplete and there were nine injuries in the other 347 cases (2.6%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2, 4.9). Four cystotomies occurred during laparoscopic Burch procedures and were detected before cystoscopy. Five injuries were detected at cystoscopy, a rate of 1.5% (95% CI 0. 5, 3.4). Four injuries occurred during 161 pubovaginal sling procedures (2.5%, 95% CI 0.7, 6.2). One woman had sutures in her bladder from a prior procedure detected at cystoscopy. In 186 Burch procedures (48 laparoscopic, 138 open), there were no previously unrecognized injuries detected by cystoscopy. All injuries were repaired during original surgery. It was not possible to assess preoperative and intraoperative risk factors because of the low rate of injury. CONCLUSION: The rate of injury to the lower urinary tract during anti-incontinence surgery in this series was 2.6% (95% CI 1.2, 4.9). Injuries during Burch procedures were all detected before cystoscopy.

Anatomy of the left upper quadrant for cannula insertion.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the anatomy of the left upper quadrant (LUQ) of the abdomen in women with different body mass indexes. DESIGN: Review of computed tomographic (CT) scans and medical records (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). SETTING: Large tertiary care medical center. PATIENTS: Sixty-three women over age 18 years who had scans performed for any indication. Nine women were excluded because of contraindication to LUQ laparoscopic cannula insertion and five because of incomplete records. Intervention. None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The closest organs to the LUQ insertion site were the liver and stomach. There was significantly more subcutaneous fat at the umbilicus than at the insertion site. A positive correlation was found between body mass index and distance between structures and the site. CONCLUSION: Cannulas should not be inserted in the LUQ in women with hepatomegaly or splenomegaly. Because the stomach is so close to the insertion site, gastric drainage should be performed before cannula insertion. The site is likely safe in obese women whose abdominal organs are far away from it, and who have less subcutaneous fat there than at the umbilicus.