Frequency of cul-de-sac obliteration in surgery for pelvic organ prolapse: a retrospective analysis.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: We aimed to clarify the frequency of cul-de-sac obliteration in patients undergoing POP surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent laparoscopic POP surgery at our hospital between April 2017 and September 2021. RESULTS: In total, 191 cases were included in the analysis. Ten patients (5.2%) had cul-de-sac obliteration. No difference in age (73 years vs. 72 years, P = 0.99), parity (2 vs. 2, P = 0.64), or body mass index (BMI) (25.7 kg/m2 vs. 24.7 kg/m2, P = 0.34) was observed between the cul-de-sac obliteration and normal groups. No significant differences were observed in the rate of previous abdominal surgery (50.0% vs. 32.6%, P = 0.46), rate of POP - quantification system (POP-Q) ≥ 2 posterior prolapse (40.0% vs. 46.4%, P = 0.98), and effect of defecation symptoms on the prolapse quality of life (p-QOL) score (vaginal bulge emptying bowels: 2.5 vs. 3.5, P = 0.15; empty bowel feeling: 3 vs. 3, P = 0.72, constipation: 3.5 vs. 3, P = 0.58; straining to open bowels: 3.5 vs. 3, P = 0.82; empty bowels with fingers: 1 vs. 1, P = 0.55) between the cul-de-sac obliteration and normal groups. Multivariate analysis of risk factors for the cul-de-sac obliteration was performed for age, number of births, previous abdominal surgery, and presence of rectocele; however no significant risk factors were extracted. CONCLUSION: Predicting cul-de-sac obliteration preoperatively in patients undergoing POP surgery based on age, number of previous surgeries, previous abdominal surgeries, rectocele, and defecation symptoms is difficult.

Robot-Assisted Vaginal Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (RvNOTES) With Total Hysterectomy for Management of Stage IV Endometriosis With/Without Complete Cul-de-Sac Obliteration: 23-Case Pilot Feasibility Study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To show feasibility and short-term outcomes of robot-assisted vaginal NOTES (RvNOTES) for the treatment of stage IV endometriosis during total hysterectomy with/without complete cul-de-sac obliteration. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Single academic tertiary care hospital in Houston, Texas, USA. PATIENTS: Twenty-three adult women with stage IV endometriosis. INTERVENTIONS: RvNOTES with total hysterectomy for excision of severe endometriosis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients were assessed for various metrics including total operative time, robot dock time, robot console time, hysterectomy time, estimated blood loss, perioperative pain using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and complications. The mean total operative time was 224.3 minutes. The study also found that patients with complete cul-de-sac obliteration had significantly longer operative times and higher estimated blood loss compared to those with partial or no obliteration. Postoperative VAS pain scores showed a significant reduction over a 6-week period. Complications included one case of complete ureteral transection, pelvic hematoma with infection, vaginal abscess, urinary tract infection, and pneumonia. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that RvNOTES may be a feasible surgical approach in expert hands for treating stage IV endometriosis, even in cases with complete obliteration of the cul-de-sac.

Laparoscopic Modified Radical Hysterectomy for Severe Endometriosis: A Single-Center Case Series.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The main objective is to describe the feasibility and report a single-center experience of a standardized laparoscopic modified radical hysterectomy technique among patients with severe endometriosis and pouch of Douglas obliteration. DESIGN: A single-center case series of laparoscopic modified radical hysterectomy performed at the Poissy Hospital between December 2012 and May 2021. SETTINGS: Single-center, gynecology unit (level III) with a focus on endometriosis. PATIENTS: Patients with severe endometriosis (stage 4 American Fertility Society) and pouch of Douglas obliteration. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Fifty-two patients with severe endometriosis underwent the surgical procedure. Of these patients, 23.1% underwent a rectal shaving (n = 12), 1.9% a discoid resection (n = 1), and 17.3% a rectal resection (n = 9), including a protective ileostomy in 1 case. Ureterolysis was performed on 82.7% of patients (n = 43). The average hospital stay was 3.3 days. Seven patients required intermittent self-catheterization (13.5%). Minor complications (Clavien-Dindo grade 1 and 2) occurred in 25.9% of the patients and severe complications in 3.8% of them (Clavien-Dindo grade 3, no grade 4). Two patients (3.8%) were reoperated: one for a postoperative occipital alopecia (balding) and the other for vaginal dehiscence with evisceration. Approximately 50 patients (96.2%) had a complete resection of endometriosis. The median follow-up was 14 months (interquartile range, 6-23 mo) with 94.3% of them improved (much and very much) and 3.8% minimally improved. CONCLUSION: In our experience, laparoscopic modified radical hysterectomy is a reliable procedure with a low rate of severe complications. This technique needs to be assessed by other surgeons and others centers across the country and abroad, to determine the likelihood of it succeeding.

Diagnosis of superficial endometriosis on transvaginal ultrasound by visualization of peritoneum of pouch of Douglas.

OBJECTIVE: Around 80% of women with endometriosis have superficial endometriosis (SE) rather than ovarian or deep endometriosis (DE). However, to date, advances in non-invasive, imaging-based diagnosis have been limited to DE or ovarian disease. The objective of this study was to determine whether we can detect SE on transvaginal ultrasound scan (TVS) by assessing the peritoneum of the pouch of Douglas (POD). METHODS: This was a retrospective diagnostic test study following a change in practice to include POD peritoneum assessment for SE during TVS at a tertiary London hospital. Eligible patients underwent TVS by a single clinician trained in endometriosis scanning and a subsequent surgical procedure (laparoscopy) between April 2018 and September 2021. Participants formed a consecutive series. The TVS findings were compared with those of laparoscopy as the gold standard. Comparison of TVS findings with intraoperative findings was performed by calculating the diagnostic test performance measures (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and positive and negative likelihood ratios). RESULTS: The study included a total of 100 patients. We found that 43/100 (43.0%) patients had no endometriosis, 33/100 (33.0%) had SE and 24/100 (24.0%) had DE on laparoscopy. SE was correctly detected on TVS in 17/33 patients, with a sensitivity of 51.5% (95% CI, 33.5-69.2%), specificity of 94.0% (95% CI, 85.4-98.4%), PPV of 81.0% (95% CI, 60.8-92.1%) and NPV of 79.7% (95% CI, 73.4-84.9%). DE was correctly diagnosed in 20/24 cases, including all ovarian cases, with a sensitivity of 83.3% (95% CI, 62.3-95.3%), specificity of 97.4% (95% CI, 90.8-99.7%), PPV of 90.9% (95% CI, 71.6-97.5%) and NPV of 94.9% (95% CI, 88.3-97.8%). The detection of SE on TVS was most accurate in the POD (sensitivity, 50.0%; specificity, 96.4%; PPV, 76.9%; NPV, 88.9%). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the detection of SE in the POD is possible using routine TVS. While negative TVS does not reliably confirm the absence of disease or replace diagnostic laparoscopy, positive TVS facilitates non-invasive diagnosis for a much larger group of women than was previously possible. This should help to reduce the time from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis and enable initiation of medical treatment without the risk, cost and delay associated with a surgical diagnosis. © 2023 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

I saw the "kissing ovaries" sign: Too close for comfort.

The Kissing ovaries sign is a radiological sign seen in women with deep pelvic endometriosis. It refers to abutment of the ovaries within the cul-de-sac. The term kissing ovaries was first described by Ghezzi et al. (2005) and has been since used widely. When seen on imaging it indicates moderate to severe endometriosis with the ovaries tethered within abnormal pelvic soft tissue, which may warrant surgical management.

Total laparoscopic hysterectomy when there is posterior cul-de-sac obliteration: a step-by-step nerve-sparing technique.

Dense adhesions because of severe endometriosis between the posterior cervical peritoneum and the anterior sigmoid or rectum obliterate the cul-de-sac and distort normal anatomic landmarks. Surgery for endometriosis is associated with severe complications, including ureteral and rectal injuries and voiding dysfunction. Surgeons should recognize the importance of not only avoiding ureteral and rectal injuries but also focusing on the preservation of the hypogastric nerves. Herein, we reported the anatomic highlights and surgical steps of laparoscopic hysterectomy for posterior cul-de-sac obliteration with the nerve-sparing technique.

Rectal duplication cyst in an adult with a history of imperforate anus: a diagnostic challenge.

Rectal duplications are rare congenital anomalies that represent 1%-6% of alimentary tract duplications. We report a case of a woman in her 50s who presented to our hospital with perianal pain and urinary retention. She had a history of imperforate anus repaired after birth and dynamic graciloplasty performed during her adulthood for faecal incontinence. Abdominal CT scan showed a fluid collection extending from the electrostimulator, placed in a subcutaneous pocket in the abdomen, to the rectouterine pouch. Infection related to the electrostimulator was assumed and, after a course of antibiotics without patient improvement, the electrostimulator was removed. The symptoms and the pelvic fluid collection persisted, and diagnostic laparoscopy was performed. Diagnosis of rectal duplication cyst was made intraoperatively, and the cyst was completely resected. Patient fully recovered after surgery. This is a rare case of a rectal duplication cyst presenting during adulthood and associated with imperforate anus.

Diagnostic accuracy of sliding sign for detecting pouch of Douglas obliteration and bowel involvement in women with suspected endometriosis: systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the sliding sign on transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) in detecting pouch of Douglas obliteration and bowel involvement in patients with suspected endometriosis, using laparoscopy as the reference standard. METHODS: A search for studies evaluating the role of the sliding sign in the assessment of pouch of Douglas obliteration and/or bowel involvement using laparoscopy as the reference standard published from January 2000 to October 2021 was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov and SCOPUS databases. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) was used to evaluate the quality of the studies. Analyses were performed using MIDAS and METANDI commands in STATA. RESULTS: A total of 334 citations were identified. Eight studies were included in the analysis, resulting in 938 and 963 patients available for analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of the sliding sign for pouch of Douglas obliteration and bowel involvement, respectively. The mean prevalence of pouch of Douglas obliteration was 37% and the mean prevalence of bowel involvement was 23%. The pooled estimated sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio and diagnostic odds ratio of the sliding sign on TVS for detecting pouch of Douglas obliteration were 88% (95% CI, 81-93%), 94% (95% CI, 91-96%), 15.3 (95% CI, 10.2-22.9), 0.12 (95% CI, 0.07-0.21) and 123 (95% CI, 62-244), respectively. The heterogeneity was moderate for sensitivity and low for specificity for detecting pouch of Douglas obliteration. The pooled estimated sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio and diagnostic odds ratio of the sliding sign on TVS for detecting bowel involvement were 81% (95% CI, 64-91%), 95% (95% CI, 91-97%), 16.0 (95% CI, 9.0-28.6), 0.20 (95% CI, 0.10-0.40) and 81 (95% CI, 34-191), respectively. The heterogeneity for the meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy for bowel involvement was high. CONCLUSION: The sliding sign on TVS has good diagnostic performance for predicting pouch of Douglas obliteration and bowel involvement in women with suspected endometriosis. © 2022 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Evaluating Surgical Complexity of Endoscopic Hysterectomy: An Inter-rater and Intra-rater Agreement Study of Novel Scoring Tool.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Evaluate inter-rater and intrarater reliability of a novel scoring tool for surgical complexity assessment of endoscopic hysterectomy. DESIGN: Validation study. SETTING: Academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Total of 11 academic obstetrician-gynecologists with varying years of postresidency training, clinical practice, and surgical volumes. INTERVENTIONS: Application of a novel scoring tool to evaluate surgical complexity of 150 sets of images taken in a standardized fashion before surgical intervention (global pelvis, anterior cul-de-sac, posterior cul-de-sac, right adnexa, left adnexa). Using only these images, raters were asked to assess uterine size, number, and location of myomas, adnexal and uterine mobility, need for ureterolysis, and presence of endometriosis or adhesions in relevant locations. Surgical complexity was staged on a scale of 1 to 4 (low to high complexity). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Number of postresidency years in practice for participating surgeons ranged from 2 to 15, with an average of 8 years. A total of 8 obstetrician-gynecologists (72.7%) had completed a fellowship in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. Six (54.6%) reported an annual volume of >50 hysterectomies. Raters reported that 95.4% of the images were satisfactory for assessment. Of the 150 sets of images, most were found to be stage 1 to 2 complexity (stage 1: 23.8%, stage 2: 41.6%, stage 3: 32.8%, stage 4: 1.8%). The level of inter-rater agreement regarding stage 1 to 2 vs 3 to 4 complexity was moderate (κ = 0.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.42-0.56). Moderate inter-rater agreement was also found between surgeon raters with an annual hysterectomy volume >50 (κ = 0.49; 95% CI, 0.40-0.57) as well as between surgeon raters with fellowship experience (κ = 0.50; 95% CI, 0.42-0.58). Intrarater agreement averaged 80.2% among all raters and also achieved moderate agreement (mean weighted κ = 0.53; range, 0.38-0.72). CONCLUSION: This novel scoring tool uses clinical assessment of preintervention anatomic images to stratify the surgical complexity of endoscopic hysterectomy. It has rich and comprehensive evaluation capabilities and achieved moderate inter-rater and intrarater agreement. The tool can be used in conjunction with or instead of traditional markers of surgical complexity such as uterine weight, estimated blood loss, and operative time.

Vaginal ultrasound-guided Pouch of Douglas robotic entry in a live ovine model and human female cadaveric specimens.

We aimed to determine whether intraoperative ultrasound is a feasible tool for visualization of the pouch of Douglas (POD) to facilitate a safe vaginal entry for direct robotic vaginal trocar insertion for pelvic floor surgery. Endovaginal ultrasound-guided needle insertion of a trocar into the POD was performed in six fresh frozen female cadavers and a live sheep animal model. Using an endovaginal probe the POD was identified as a fluid-filled space clear of bowel or adhesions, then a Veress needle was also used to confirm POD localization. Access to the POD was achieved using a robotic trocar designed for this purpose. The animal study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Asaf-Harofe hospital. Direct visualization during laparoscopy in cadavers and open cadaveric dissections confirmed safe POD entry and accurate trocar placement. This method was found feasible in the development of a safe vaginal entry in both the animal and cadaveric model, possibly negating the need for laparoscopic umbilical observation.

Evisceración de intestino delgado por periné posterior como presentación de hernia interrecto-vaginal: reporte de un caso / Evisceration of the small intestine through the posterior perineum aspresentation of interrecto-vaginal hernia: a case report

Introducción. El enterocele es causado por un defecto herniario del piso pélvico, siendo el más común la hernia interrecto-vaginal. Se produce por un debilitamiento del piso pélvico, por diversos factores, entre ellos, las cirugías en la región pélvica, el estreñimiento crónico o las patologías que aumentan la presión intraabdominal, el antecedente de prolapso rectal o vaginal, y también, factores congénitos. Presentación de caso. Paciente femenina de 84 años de edad, con antecedentes de un parto eutócico y múltiples procedimientos quirúrgicos, entre ellos histerectomía hace 40 años y rectosigmoidectomía por enfermedad diverticular complicada hace 6 años, quien cuatro meses antes presenta constipación crónica, que empeora en los días previos a su ingreso, con dolor perineal intenso y salida de asas intestinales a nivel de la región perineal, que la obliga a consultar a Urgencias. Al encontrarse con asas intestinales expuestas, con cambios de coloración, es intervenida quirúrgicamente con resultado satisfactorio, postquirúrgico inmediato optimo y seguimiento por consulta externa por 3 meses sin evidencia de recidiva. Discusión. La hernia interrecto-vaginal tiene una incidencia baja y una presentación clínica variada. El único tratamiento es quirúrgico

Introduction. The enterocele is produced by an hernia defect of the pelvic floor, being the most common the interrecto-vaginal hernia. It is produced by weakness of the pelvic floor for multiples factors, among them surgeries of the pelvic region, chronic constipation or pathologies that increase intra-abdominal pressure, a history of rectal or vaginal prolapse, and congenital factors. Case report. A 84-year-old female patient, with a history of eutocic delivery and multiple surgical procedures, including hysterectomy 40 years ago and rectosigmoidectomy for complicated diverticular disease 6 years ago, presented four months earlier with chronic constipation, which worsens in the days before her admission, with intense perineal pain and exit of intestinal loops at the level of the perineal region, which forced her to consult the emergency room. At examination the intestinal loops were found exposed, with color changes, she underwent surgery with satisfactory results, optimal immediate postoperative and outpatient follow-up for 3 months with no evidence of recurrence. Discussion. Interrecto-vaginal hernia has a low incidence and a varied clinical presentation. The only treatment is surgery

Alzheimer's trials: A cul-de-sac with no end in sight.

We don't understand Alzheimer, its origin and disease mechanisms. The absence of disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer today is due to the amyloid hypothesis, a misguided hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease etiology, which has dominated Alzheimer research, drug development, and clinical trials for 30 years. However, the hypothesis is not dead yet, as exemplified by the recent resurrection of clinical trials with aducanumab. Recent advances in Alzheimer research include astrocytes, synaptic function and glutamate signaling. Many studies indicate EAAT2 as a promising target in drug discovery and clinical development for novel therapies in Alzheimer's disease, and other neurologic and psychiatric diseases.

Ectopic pregnancy: a single-center experience over ten years.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate characteristics associated with ectopic pregnancy (EP) that could be utilized for predicting morbidity or mortality. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of pregnancy-related records from a tertiary center over a period of ten years. Data on age, gravidity, parity, EP risk, amenorrhea duration, abdominal pain presence and location, ß-human chorionic gonadotropin (ß-HCG) level, ultrasound findings, therapeutic intervention, exact EP implantation site and length of hospital stay (LOS) were obtained from the database. The LOS was used as a proxy for morbidity and was tested for an association with all variables. All statistical analyses were conducted with Stata® (ver. 16.1, Texas, USA). RESULTS: The incidence of EP in a cohort of 30,247 pregnancies over a ten-year period was 1.05%. Patients presented with lower abdominal pain in 87.9% of cases, and the likelihood of experiencing pain was tenfold higher if fluid was detectable in the pouch of Douglas. Only 5.1% of patients had a detectable embryonic heartbeat, and 18.15% had one or more risk factors for EP. While most EPs were tubal, 2% were ovarian. The LOS was 1.9 days, and laparoscopic intervention was the main management procedure. The cohort included one genetically proven dizygotic heterotopic pregnancy (incidence, 3.3 × 10- 5) that was diagnosed in the 7th gestational week. The only association found was between the ß-HCG level and LOS, with a linear regression ß coefficient of 0.01 and a P-value of 0.04. CONCLUSION: EP is a relatively common condition affecting approximately 1% of all pregnancies. ß-HCG correlates with EP-related morbidity, but the overall morbidity rate of EP is low regardless of the implantation site. Laparoscopic surgery is an effective therapeutic procedure that is safe for managing EP, even in cases of heterotopic pregnancy.

Ovarian cyst elevation using a metreurynter for laparoscopic cystectomy of a benign ovarian cyst during pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: A uterine manipulator cannot be used to elevate the ovary in benign ovarian surgery during pregnancy. This report describes our method of elevation of the ovary using a metreurynter with the success rate of the procedure and a comparison of surgical results and pregnancy outcomes between the successful and unsuccessful cases. METHODS: Between August 2003 and February 2020, 11 pregnant patients with a tumor found sunk in the Cul-de-sac underwent laparoscopic cystectomy for a benign ovarian cyst with a metreurynter. The surgical results, success and failure of the elevation by a metreurynter, pregnancy outcomes, and fetal status at delivery were evaluated. RESULTS: Elevation of ovarian tumors with a metreurynter was successful in nine cases. However, it was unsuccessful in the remaining two cases wherein the ovary was lifted with forceps while the uterus was in a compressed state. The operative time was also longer in these cases. The pregnancy prognosis, however, was good for both, successful and unsuccessful cases. CONCLUSIONS: The metreurynter is an inexpensive and practical obstetric device, and its optimal use allows the performance of a procedure with minimal burden on a pregnant uterus. Therefore, we recommend the appropriate use of this method to enable effective laparoscopic cystectomy of ovarian tumors during pregnancy.

The "Speckle Sign" in the Diagnosis of Posterior Compartment Endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine usefulness of the "speckle sign" in the diagnosis of deep invasive endometriosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This HIPAA-compliant, institutional review board-approved retrospective study with informed consent waived included 25 women (mean age 20-69 years) with histopathologically confirmed posterior cul-de-sac endometriosis between 2013 and 2018. Transvaginal ultrasound exams of these patients were reviewed by 2 expert radiologists searching for the "speckle sign," defined as irregular obliteration of the posterior cul-de-sac and bright (hyperechoic) internal echoes. The frequency of additional findings such as "kissing ovaries," endometriomas in the adnexa, bowel tethering in the posterior pelvic compartment, retroflexed uterus, adenomyosis, and pelvic free fluid were also analyzed. Data regarding clinical features, histopathologic findings and management were collected through a review of the medical record. RESULTS: Reader one identified posterior compartment endometriosis in 20/25 patients, and reader two in 22/25 patients, with 96% agreement. Adnexal endometriomas were found in 21/25 patients for both readers (k = 0.70) and were bilateral in 23% of patients. The ovaries were adherent to each other in the midline ("kissing ovaries") in 50% of patients; the bowel was tethered anteriorly in 20%; the presence of adenomyosis was seen in about 27%, and a retroflexed uterus was seen in 24% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The speckle sign could be helpful in making the diagnosis of posterior compartment endometriosis, and the sign is often found in conjunction with other imaging features of endometriosis.