Functional and sexual outcomes following surgical vaginal introital reduction.

OBJECTIVE: Surgical introital reduction procedures are commonly performed for the treatment of vaginal laxity (VL), yet poorly studied. The aim of this study was to assess clinical outcomes following surgical vaginal introital reduction for VL. METHODS: This was an ambidirectional cohort study conducted in a single urogynecology center. All sexually active women who had vaginal introital surgical reduction for VL between March 2015 and September 2020 were included in this study. VL was defined as a genital hiatus distance ≥4cm according to the POP-Q classification, associated with symptoms of laxity. The primary endpoint was sexual health assessed by the Pelvi-Perineal Surgery Sexuality Questionnaire (PPSSQ), while the secondary endpoints included postoperative pain, perioperative complications, rate of dyspareunia, patient satisfaction and success rate based on the Patient Global Improvement Index (PGI-I) and Vaginal Laxity Questionnaire (VLQ). RESULTS: Of the 27 patients sent the questionnaires, 23 sexually active patients returned the completed ones and were included in the study. Participants had a mean age and BMI of 41 years (range 24-74) and 21.3 (range 17.6-31.9) respectively. The most prevalent preoperative symptom was feeling of VL in 82.6% followed by bulging sensation in 47.8%. Preoperative dyspareunia was reported in 8/23 (34.8%). Surgical interventions involved perineorrhaphy with (n=14) or without (n=9) levator ani plication. The PPSSQ mean sexual health score was 86.7/100 (SD 5.8; range 16.7-93.3) and the mean discomfort and pain score was 27.5/100 (SD 26.0; range 0-80). Postoperative sexuality was reported to better, identical or worse in 16 (69.6%), 2 (8.7%) and 5 (21.7%) patients respectively. On PGI-I, patients reported feeling much better, better, slightly better and no change in 10 (43.5%), 5 (21.7%), 5 (21.7%) and 3 (13.0%) respectively. None of the women reported feeling worse. The overall post-operative complication rate was 3/23 (13.0%), including a perineal hematoma, and two cases of reoperation for narrow introitus. De novo dyspareunia was reported by 11/18 (61.1%) patients, occurring often or more in 4/18 (22.2%) patients, due to narrow introitus (n=2), enlarge introitus (n=1) and vaginal dryness (n=1). CONCLUSION: Vaginal introital reduction surgery is a viable treatment option for symptoms of vaginal laxity after failure of conservative measures. However, patients should be made aware of the risk of de novo dyspareunia.

Real-world treatment patterns and diagnosis of charcot foot in franco-belgian diabetic foot expert centers (The EPiChar Study).

AIM: To evaluate the real-life diagnosis and therapeutic means of Charcot Neuroosteoarthropathy (CN) in French-Belgian diabetic foot expert centers. METHODS: We collected clinical characteristics, results of exams and therapeutic pathways of consecutive adult patients with diabetic osteoarthropathy seen in consultation or hospitalization from January 1 to December 31, 2019 in 31 diabetic foot expert centers. The primary outcome was to describe the diagnostic and management methods for CN according to patient clinical characteristics, the clinical-radiological characteristics of acute and chronic CN and discharge means. RESULTS: 467 patients were included: 364 with chronic CN and 103 in the acute phase. 101 patients had bilateral chronic CN. Most patients were male (73.4%), treated with insulin (73.3%), and with multicomplicated diabetes. In the acute phase, edema and increased foot temperature were present in 75% and 58.3% of cases, respectively. Diagnosis confirmation was usually by MRI and the mode of discharge was variable. In the chronic phase, orthopedic shoes were prescribed in 81.5% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: This observational study highlights the diagnostic and therapeutic practices in 31 diabetic foot centers. Our results highlight that the use of MRI and the modalities of offloading, an essential treatment in the acute phase, need to be better standardized. Centers were highly encouraging about creating a patient registry.

Trends in the relation between hyperglycemia correction and active Charcot neuroarthropathy: results from the EPICHAR study.

INTRODUCTION: The pathophysiology of Charcot neuroarthropathy (CN) remains unclear. There are a number of hypotheses but these are not exclusive. In its clinical presentation, this complication intersects with the semiology of diabetic-induced neuropathy, such as peripheral hypervascularization and the appearance of arteriovenous shunt. The EPICHAR study is as yet an unpublished cohort of people living with diabetes complicated by CN (in active or chronic phase). Based on the findings of the EPICHAR study, this study aimed to investigate whether a reduction in the rate of hyperglycemia accompanies the onset of an active phase of CN. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were assessed 3 months (M3) and 6 months (M6) before the diagnosis of active CN (M0). RESULTS: 103 patients living with diabetes and presenting active CN were included between January and December 2019 from the 31 centers participating in this study (30 in France and 1 in Belgium). The mean age of the participants was 60.2±12.2 years; the vast majority were men (71.8%) living with type 2 diabetes (75.5%). Mean HbA1c levels significantly declined between M6 (median 7.70; Q1, Q3: 7.00, 8.55) and M3 (median 7.65; Q1, Q3: 6.90, 8.50) (p=0.012), as well as between M6 and M0 (median 7.40; Q1, Q3: 6.50, 8.50) (p=0.014). No significant difference was found between M3 and M0 (p=0.072). CONCLUSIONS: A significant reduction in HbA1c levels seems to accompany the onset of the active phase of CN. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCM03744039.

Urinary and sexual impact of pelvic reconstructive surgery for genital prolapse by surgical route. A randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The main objective of the study was to evaluate the rates of de novo stress urinary (SUI) and postoperative dyspareunia after both sacrocolpopexy/hysteropexy (SCP) and vaginal mesh surgery. METHODS: A prospective, multicenter, randomized, open-label study with two parallel groups treated by either SCP or Uphold Lite vaginal mesh was carried out. Study participants were ≥ 50 and < 80 years old patients with Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) stage ≥2 who were considered eligible for reconstructive surgery and who were sexually active with no dyspareunia and free from bothersome SUI at presentation. Women were assessed before surgery and at 4-8 weeks and 11-13 months after using validated measures including POP-Q, Pelvic Floor Disability Index (PFDI-20), Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire (PFIQ-7), Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire, IUGA-Revised (PISQ-IR), and Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I). Data were also collected for health economics evaluation. RESULTS: Of the required sample of 156 women, 42 women (19 SCP and 23 vaginal mesh) were only recruited owing to the discontinuation of vaginal mesh worldwide. The median follow-up was 376 days. The rates of bothersome de novo SUI were similar in the SCP and Uphold vaginal mesh groups (15.79 vs 15.00%, OR 0.95 [95% CI 0.22-4.14]). Among 30 sexually active patients at follow-up, the rates of women reporting de novo dyspareunia "usually or always" were 6.7% after SCP vs 13.3% after vaginal mesh (p = 1). Health economics evaluation showed a cost saving of 280€ in favor of the Uphold vaginal mesh technique, but no significant difference in the total cost (2,934.97€ for SCP vs 3,053.26€ for Uphold vaginal mesh). CONCLUSIONS: Bothersome de novo SUI and de novo dyspareunia occurred in approximately 15% and 23% of our study cohorts, with no significant difference between sacrocolpopexy/hysteropexy and anterior/apical vaginal mesh surgery. However, these results should be interpreted with caution owing to the small sample size.

Role of DNA Repair Variants and Diagnostic Radiology Exams in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Risk: A Pooled Analysis of Two Case-Control Studies.

BACKGROUND: Given the increased use and diversity of diagnostic procedures, it is important to understand genetic susceptibility to radiation-induced thyroid cancer. METHODS: On the basis of self-declared diagnostic radiology examination records in addition to existing literature, we estimated the radiation dose delivered to the thyroid gland from diagnostic procedures during childhood and adulthood in two case-control studies conducted in France. A total of 1,071 differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) cases and 1,188 controls from the combined studies were genotyped using a custom-made Illumina OncoArray DNA chip. We focused our analysis on variants in genes involved in DNA damage response and repair pathways, representing a total of 5,817 SNPs in 571 genes. We estimated the OR per milli-Gray (OR/mGy) of the radiation dose delivered to the thyroid gland using conditional logistic regression. We then used an unconditional logistic regression model to assess the association between DNA repair gene variants and DTC risk. We performed a meta-analysis of the two studies. RESULTS: The OR/mGy was 1.02 (95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.03). We found significant associations between DTC and rs7164173 in CHD2 (P = 5.79 × 10-5), rs6067822 in NFATc2 (P = 9.26 × 10-5), rs1059394 and rs699517 both in ENOSF1/THYS, rs12702628 in RPA3, and an interaction between rs7068306 in MGMT and thyroid radiation doses (P = 3.40 × 10-4). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest a role for variants in CDH2, NFATc2, ENOSF1/THYS, RPA3, and MGMT in DTC risk. IMPACT: CDH2, NFATc2, ENOSF1/THYS, and RPA3 have not previously been shown to be associated with DTC risk.