Diagnosis of adverse events after hysterectomy with postoperative self-care web applications: A pilot study.

Increased pressures from multiple sources are leading to earlier patient discharge following surgery. Our objective was to test the feasibility of self-care web applications to inform women if, when, and where to seek help for symptoms after hysterectomy. We asked 31 women recovering at home after hysterectomy at two centers to sign into a website on a schedule. For each session, the website informed them about normal postoperative symptoms and prompted them to complete an interactive symptom questionnaire that provided detailed information on flagged responses. We interviewed eight women who experienced an adverse event. Six of these women had used the web application regularly, each indicating they used the information to guide them in seeking care for their complications. These data support that self-care applications may empower patients to manage their own care and present to appropriate health care providers and venues when they experience abnormal symptoms.

Urinary Tract Injury at Benign Gynecologic Surgery and the Role of Cystoscopy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To calculate the rates of urinary tract injury detected during and after benign gynecologic surgery. To explore the role of routine intraoperative cystoscopy and determine if it helps in reducing injuries detected postoperatively. DATA SOURCES: We conducted a literature search for urinary tract injuries at benign gynecologic surgery in PubMed, EMBASE, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Web of Science from January 2004 to August 2014. We combined our results with a database from a previously published systematic review to include earlier studies. METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION: A total of 79 studies met our inclusion criteria. Excluded were letters to the editor, studies involving only selective cystoscopy in higher risk patients, case reports, and reports that included injuries resulting from obstetric or oncologic procedures. TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS: Data from each report were classified according to type of surgery into vaginal hysterectomy, abdominal hysterectomy, laparoscopic hysterectomy, other (nonrobotic) gynecologic and urogynecologic surgery, robotic hysterectomy, and other robotic gynecologic and urogynecologic surgery. We determined the ureteric and bladder injury rates for each surgery type from studies in which routine intraoperative cystoscopy was performed and separately from studies in which it was not performed. Intraoperatively detected rates of ureteric and bladder injury were markedly higher with routine intraoperative cystoscopy. We obtained an adjusted ureteric injury rate of 0.3% and a bladder injury rate of 0.8%. The estimated postoperative ureteric injury detection rates per 1,000 surgeries were 1.6 without routine cystoscopy and 0.7 with routine cystoscopy. Postoperative bladder injury detection rates per 1,000 surgeries were 0.8 without routine cystoscopy and 1.0 with routine cystoscopy. CONCLUSION: Although routine cystoscopy clearly increases the intraoperative detection rate of urinary tract injuries, this systematic review of 79 mostly retrospective studies shows that it does not appear to have much effect on the postoperative injury detection rate.

Overlapping compared with end-to-end repair of complete third-degree or fourth-degree obstetric tears: three-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To report on a 3-year follow-up of women who underwent overlapping repair of a complete third-degree or fourth-degree obstetric tear. METHODS: Primiparous women sustaining a complete third-degree or a fourth-degree tear of the perineum were randomized to a primary sphincter repair using either an end-to-end or an overlapping surgical technique. At 1, 2, and 3 years, questionnaires on rates of flatal and fecal incontinence were mailed to participants. RESULTS: At 1 year, women who underwent an end-to-end repair reported lower rates of flatal and fecal incontinence than women who had an overlapping repair. For flatal incontinence the rates were 31% compared with 56% (95% confidence interval for the rate difference 6-43%, P=.012). For fecal incontinence, the rates were 7% compared with 16% (95% confidence interval for the rate difference -4% to 21%, P=.17). The difference between the two methods of surgical repair had largely disappeared by the end of year 2. CONCLUSION: At 1-year follow-up, end-to-end repair of complete third-degree or fourth-degree obstetric anal sphincter tears is associated with significantly lower rates of anal incontinence when compared with overlapping repair. There is no long-term benefit associated with either technique over the other. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Register, http://isrctn.org, ISRCTNO 4149919. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I.

Development and evaluation of a web site to improve recovery from hysterectomy.

Following surgery, information received upon discharge for recovery at home varies depending on the hospital, and the information is typically given to the patient all at once rather than timed to the recovery process. To address these information challenges, a Web site to help women recovering at home after hysterectomy was developed and evaluated. The Web site was designed to guide the hysterectomy patient through her postsurgical recovery by providing timely and relevant information tailored to the patient's stage of recovery. The Web site required patients to complete a checkup assessing 18 symptoms related to their recovery, and advice was given on how to deal with any symptom the patient had. The Web site also provided care tips specific to the patient's day of recovery along with general information regarding hysterectomy and recovery. Thirty-one women participated in the evaluation, which consisted of preoperative and postoperative surveys as well as a telephone interview. Results indicated that patients frequently used and were highly satisfied with the Web site. Patients reported that the Web site was easy to use and informative, helped to guide their recovery, reduced worry and anxiety, and helped to inform decisions of when and how to contact health professionals. Based on the findings, the Web site represents a potentially cost-effective means to aid women recovering from hysterectomy.

Overlapping compared with end-to-end repair of third- and fourth-degree obstetric anal sphincter tears: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare overlapping repair with end-to-end repair of obstetric tears and to investigate which procedure results in a higher rate of flatal incontinence. METHODS: One-hundred forty-nine primiparous women sustaining a complete third- or a fourth-degree tear of the perineum were assigned randomly to a primary sphincter repair using either an end-to-end (n=75) or an overlapping surgical technique (n=74) using 3-0 polyglyconate. Outcome measures at 6 months included rates of flatal and fecal incontinence, quality-of-life scores, integrity of the internal and external anal sphincters by anal ultrasonography, and anal sphincter function as reflected by anal manometry. RESULTS: Women who underwent overlapping repair compared with end-to-end repair had higher rates of flatal incontinence, 61% compared with 39% (odds ratio [OR] 2.44, confidence interval [CI] 1.2-5.0). The rate of fecal incontinence was also higher, 15% compared with 8% (OR 1.97, CI 0.62-6.3) but did not attain statistical significance. Rates of internal and external anal sphincter defects did not differ significantly between groups and did not correlate with anal incontinence symptoms. Fecal incontinence was higher when there was a defect in both sphincter muscles. Anal sphincter function as assessed by manometry did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSION: End-to-end repair of third- or fourth-degree obstetric anal sphincter tears is associated with lower rates of anal incontinence when compared with overlapping repair. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Register, isrctn.org, ISRCTN04149919. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I.

Cartilaginous symphysis pubis cysts: report of two cases, technique for removal, and review of the literature.

Cartilaginous symphysis pubis cysts are rare. There are 7 cases previously reported in the literature. Patients are commonly asymptomatic or may present with a slow-growing, painless vulvar mass, voiding difficulty, and/or dyspareunia. Two cases were managed at our center over 5 years. We present these 2 cases, a surgical technique for removal, a summary of all reported cases, and some perspectives on the pathophysiologic mechanisms for the origin of this lesion.

Minimizing the urological and psychological morbidity of urinary tract fistulae from VBAC.

BACKGROUND: Because of the relative rarity of the condition, there is no consensus for the timing of surgical repair of fistulae following vaginal birth after Caesarean section (VBAC). CASES: Three cases of urinary tract fistulae following VBAC are presented. Two patients had an early repair (24-48 hours after delivery), and the third had a repair at four months after delivery. The surgical approach and intraoperative findings for the early and late repairs are described, and the psychological effects of early and late repair are compared. The early repairs were not technically difficult and were associated with less psychological morbidity. CONCLUSION: In the absence of contraindications, early repair of urinary tract fistulae diagnosed within the first few days after VBAC delivery is preferred. If early repair is attempted, perioperative conditions must be optimized; urogynaecologic or urologic expertise and assistance should be considered.

Disability and litigation from urinary tract injuries at benign gynecologic surgery in Canada.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of urinary tract injury and the relative risk of litigation from an injury for benign gynecologic surgery in Canada and to analyze a subset of cases of litigation, determining independent risk factors that predicted medical and legal outcomes. METHODS: The prevalence of urinary tract injury and the relative risks of litigation from an injury were determined from the national hospital discharge abstract and the national physician malpractice databases. Multiple logistic regression was performed on a subset of litigation cases. RESULTS: The prevalence of urinary tract injury at benign gynecologic surgery was low (0.33%). If a patient sustained a urinary tract injury, there was a high relative risk of litigation (relative risk 91, 95% confidence interval [CI] 55-158). Patients had a higher chance of major disability after urinary tract injury from hysterectomy for abnormal uterine bleeding (odds ratio [OR] 6.16, 95% CI 1.13-39.01, P = .04), but a lower chance of this being a permanent disability (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.05-0.96, P = .05). Permanent disability was more likely after an obstructed ureter compared with other types of urinary tract injuries (OR 4.54, 95% CI 1.55-14.88, P = .008). Only 18% of the injuries were recognized intraoperatively. An acute bladder injury was more likely to be recognized intraoperatively than other types of injury (OR 14.98, 95% CI 3.89-57.74, P < .001). No obstructed ureters or urinary tract fistulae were recognized intraoperatively. CONCLUSION: Urinary tract injuries are an uncommon but significant complication from benign gynecologic surgery. Such injuries are associated a high relative risk of litigation.

Postpartum flatal and Fecal Incontinence Quality-of-Life Scale: a disease- and population-specific measure.

Using various recruiting methods, the authors identified 10 women who suffer from flatal and/or fecal incontinence subsequent to one or more previous vaginal deliveries. Each of these women participated in an individual in-depth 1-hour interview assessing symptom frequency, severity, and impact on quality of life. Participants also completed the Fecal Incontinence Quality-of-Life Scale and evaluated how well this scale captured their experiences. The authors used qualitative analyses to generate themes from the interviews and modified the existing scale, adding new items and themes to capture this population's particular symptom experience. This scale is being evaluated in the context of a surgical clinical trial comparing two techniques for repairing anal sphincter lacerations from delivery.

Approach to urinary incontinence in women. Diagnosis and management by family physicians.

UNLABELLED: OBJECTIVE; To outline an approach to diagnosis and management of the types of urinary incontinence seen by family physicians. SOURCES OF INFORMATION: Recommendations for diagnosis are based on consensus guidelines. Treatment recommendations are based on level I and II evidence. Guidelines for referral are based on the authors' opinions and experience. MAIN MESSAGE: Diagnoses of stress, urge, or mixed urinary incontinence are easily established in family physicians' offices by history and gynecologic examination and sometimes a urinary stress test. There is little need for formal diagnostic testing. Management by family physicians (without need for specialist referral) includes lifestyle modification, pelvic floor muscle strengthening, bladder retraining, and pharmacotherapy with muscarinic receptor antagonists. Patients with pelvic organ prolapse might require specialist referral for consideration of pessaries or surgery, but family physicians can provide follow-up care. Women with more complex problems, such as severe prolapse or failed continence surgery, require referral. CONCLUSION: Urinary incontinence is a common condition in women. In most cases, it can be diagnosed and managed effectively by family physicians.