vNOTES Hysterectomy: What about Obese Patients?

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare the surgical outcomes of hysterectomy by vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) for patients with body mass index (BMI) <30 and BMI ≥30. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. SETTING: A French teaching hospital. PATIENTS: All patients who underwent a vNOTES hysterectomy from February 2020 to January 2022 were included (N = 200). The vNOTES approach was chosen for all patients requiring a hysterectomy, unless the procedure was for endometriosis or cancer (except grade 1 endometrioid adenocarcinoma). INTERVENTIONS: Patients were categorized into 2 groups based on their BMI (<30 or ≥30 kg/m2). The population characteristics, surgical outcomes, and hospitalization outcomes were compared. The main outcome was the intraoperative conversion rate. Secondary end points were blood loss, operative time, perioperative and postoperative complications, and same-day surgery management. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 146 patients were included in the BMI <30 group, and 54 patients in the BMI ≥30 group. There was no statistical difference between obese and nonobese patients concerning intraoperative conversion (p = .150), with 4 cases occurring in the BMI <30 group (2.74%) and 4 occurring in the BMI ≥30 group (7.41%). Operative times were longer in obese patients (115.93 min [±55.28] vs 79.78 min [±40.38], p <.001). There was no significant difference in blood loss (p = .337) or perioperative and postoperative complications (p = .346 and p = .612, respectively). The ability to complete the surgery as a same-day procedure was no different between obese and nonobese patients (p = .150). CONCLUSION: The results concerning intraoperative conversion and perioperative and postoperative complications show that vNOTES hysterectomies seem to be feasible for obese patients. When same-day surgery was decided before surgery, no more obese than nonobese patients were converted to conventional hospitalization. Further studies are needed to confirm these observations.

Is V-NOTES Hysterectomy as Safe and Feasible as Outpatient Surgery Compared with Vaginal Hysterectomy?

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The vaginal approach is the reference surgical route to perform hysterectomy for benign pathologies. Hysterectomy via transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (V-NOTES) is a new technique that would overcome the limitations of vaginal surgery by allowing a complete exploration of the peritoneal cavity and a constant visual control of the adjacent structures. The aim of this study is to assess the V-NOTES technique compared with vaginal hysterectomy (VH). DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. SETTING: French teaching hospital. PATIENTS: The first 50 V-NOTES hysterectomies were included successively and compared with the last 50 VH performed from March 2019 to November 2020. The study concerned all patients requiring hysterectomy unless it was for endometriosis or cancer (except for grade 1 endometrioid adenocarcinoma). INTERVENTIONS: The baseline characteristics and the surgical outcomes were compared. The main outcome assessed was the performing of outpatient surgery. Secondary end points were uterine weight and intraoperative and postoperative complications. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The rate of outpatient surgery did not differ between the 2 surgical techniques (p = .23). The success rate of outpatient management was 77% in the V-NOTES group versus 75% in the VH group (p = .85). There was no difference in surgical outcomes between the 2 groups, except for the rate of salpingectomies or adnexectomies, which was significantly higher in the V-NOTES group, with 100% of patients undergoing one of these procedures, compared with 60% of patients in the vaginal route group (p < .001). There were 2 cases of re-admission in the month following the intervention in the vaginal group and 0 cases in the V-NOTES group. CONCLUSION: Hysterectomy by V-NOTES can be performed as a safe and adequate alternative to VH. This surgical route is a good candidate for outpatient management. However, more studies need to be conducted to confirm these findings.

Discordant immune complete heart block and growth restriction in dichorionic twin pregnancy with permanent pacemaker implantation of an 1140 g neonate.

Fetal atrioventricular block is a rare pathology, mostly due to placental transmission of maternal SSA/Ro and SSB/La antibodies, and can lead to severe fetal or neonatal outcomes. We report a case of dichorionic, diamniotic twin pregnancy, with maternal SSA/Ro antibodies. Isolated complete atrioventricular block was diagnosed at 23 weeks in one fetus (Twin A), while the second fetus (Twin B) remained in normal sinus rhythm. Severe asymmetric intrauterine growth restriction occurred in Twin A. Delivery was by caesarean section at 32 + 2 weeks. Neonatal permanent pacemaker was inserted on the first day after birth in 1140 g neonate. Discordant heart block in twin pregnancy has already been reported in a few dichorionic pregnancies, but the pathway of discordant disease expression remains unclear. Extraction decision is a dilemma between cardiac failure prevention and prematurity associated twin morbidity. This case shows a successful pacing in a very low birth weight neonate.

Complications and reoperations after laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy with a mean follow-up of 4 years.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: There is a lack of knowledge concerning long-term reoperation and complications after laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy (LSCP). We analyzed the rates and indications and potential risk factors for reoperation after LSCP in a large series of consecutive patients. METHODS: This was a single-center, retrospective study including all patients who underwent LSCP between 2003 and 2013. Data regarding pelvic organ prolapse (POP), surgical modalities and perioperative complications were collected. Patients were then contacted by telephone or postal letter in 2014. The main outcome criteria were grade III Dindo classification complications: reoperation for POP recurrence, mesh complications, and urinary incontinence (UI). RESULTS: Between January 2003 and December 2013, a total of 464 consecutive patients (mean age, 59 years) underwent LSCP. Almost all (99.1 %) patients presented with POP ≥ grade 3 (POP-Q classification). Long-term evaluations were completed for 391 (84.1 %) patients. The median follow-up was 53.5 ± 28.2 months. The global reoperation rate was 12.5 %. The main reoperation indications were UI-related surgery in 21 patients (5.5 %), POP recurrence surgery in 20 patients (5.1 %), and mesh-related surgery in 11 patients (2.8 %). Multivariate analysis showed that older age at the time of initial surgery and concomitant subtotal hysterectomy were significant protective factors against global reoperation (HR = 0.606, CI 95 % [0.451-0.815] and 0.367, CI 95 % [0.193-0.698] respectively) and reduced the risk of POP recurrence surgery. CONCLUSION: Prolapse recurrence and mesh-related surgery occurred in 5.1 and 2.8 % of patients respectively, 4 years after laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy. Age and concomitant subtotal hysterectomy could play a role in the incidence of long-term reoperation.

Impact of laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy learning curve on operative time, perioperative complications and short term results.

OBJECTIVE: Laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy (LSCP) learning is a challenge for unexperienced surgeons, since complications occurrence and anatomical results could depend from surgeon's experience. The aim of this study was to describe LSCP characteristics, perioperative complications and short term anatomical results when LSCP was performed by LSCP-experienced surgeons or trainees. STUDY DESIGN: Patients who underwent LSCP in our surgical unit in the last ten years were included. Patients were excluded if laparotomy was performed without any laparoscopic time. Interventions were divided into LSCP experienced surgeons (who had performed at least 30 procedures) and trainees (residents, fellows, and surgeons with less than 30 procedures). Main outcomes were operative time, peroperative complications (included conversions to open or vaginal surgery, bladder and vaginal perforation, epigastric vessels injury and hemorrhage) early postoperative complications, mesh complications and anatomical results at three months. RESULTS: 492 patients were included, 108 in the trainee group and 384 in the LSCP-experienced group. Groups were comparable for demographics, preoperative clinical examination and surgery characteristics. Average operative time was significantly higher in trainees group than in LSCP-experienced group (251 versus 178 min (p<0.0001)). There was no difference in open surgery conversion rate (5.6% versus 3.9%, p=0.42) or peroperative complication occurrence (4.7% versus 4.6%, p=0.98). Bladder perforations were more frequent in trainee group but difference was not statistically significant (3.7% versus 1.3%, p=0.11). 98% patients were assessed at three months. Overall anatomical success rate was 94.9%. There was no difference in anatomical failure rate between trainee group and LSCP experienced surgeons group (respectively 4.7% versus 5.2%, p=0.82), neither in mesh complication rate (3.9% versus 2.8%, p=0.77). CONCLUSION: LSCP learning in an experimented surgical team induces high operative time, but remains safe for patient.