Combination of Anterior and Posterior Vaginal Mesh Implants and Delorme Procedure in a 94-year-old female with Pelvic Organ Prolapse.

Pelvic organ prolapse refers to the descent of pelvic floor organs resulting from the weakening of pelvic muscles, fascia and connective tissue. The overall prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse is approximately 41%, including bladder prolapse (25%-34%), uterine prolapse (4%-14%) and rectal prolapse (13%-19%). Various methods are currently employed to repair damaged structures and improve patient symptoms, consequently enhancing their quality of life. This report focuses on a 94-year-old female diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse, specifically Grade 3 bladder prolapse, Grade 3 uterine prolapse and complete rectal prolapse. A comprehensive surgical treatment was carried out to repair the pelvic organs on all three levels (rectum, uterus and bladder) by combining the Delorme procedure with synthetic graft implants. The surgical outcomes were good, illustrating immediate improvement in symptoms without early complications. A multispeciality approach helps functionally repair pelvic organ prolapse while preserving structural integrity.

Pain and other complications of pelvic mesh: a systematic review of qualitative studies and thematic synthesis of women's accounts.

OBJECTIVES: Synthesis of the experience of women with pain from pelvic or vaginal mesh or its removal, to identify pain-related problems and to formulate psychological aspects of pain. DESIGN: Systematic review and thematic analysis of qualitative studies of pain from pelvic or vaginal mesh, or mesh removal, in women over 18 years, using individual interviews, focus groups, free text, or written or oral contributions to formal enquiries. DATA SOURCES: Medline, Embase and PsycINFO, from inception to 26 April 2023. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Qualitative studies of pain and other symptoms from pelvic or vaginal mesh or its removal; adults; no language restriction. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Line-by-line coding of participant quotations and study author statements by one author to provide codes that were applied to half the studies by another author and differences resolved by discussion. Codes were grouped into subthemes and themes by both authors, then scrutinised and discussed by a focus group of mesh-injured women for omissions, emphasis and coherence. Studies were appraised using an amalgamation of the CASP and COREQ tools. RESULTS: 2292 search results produced 9 eligible studies, with 7-752 participants, a total of around 2000. Four recruited patients, four totally or partially from mesh advocacy groups, and two were national enquiries (UK and Australia). Four major themes were as follows: broken body, broken mind; distrust of doctors and the medical industry; broken life and keeping going-a changed future. Psychological content mainly concerned the loss of trust in medical care, leaving women unsupported in facing an uncertain future. Mesh-injured women strongly endorsed the findings. CONCLUSIONS: Pain and other problems associated with pelvic mesh are profound and far-reaching for women affected. Worse, they feel subject to continued gaslighting, including denial of their mesh-related problems and dismissal of their concerns about continued mesh insertion. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022330527.

Assessment of socioeconomic and racial differences in patients undergoing concurrent gynecologic oncology and urogynecology surgeries: a National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess social determinants of health impacting patients undergoing gynecologic oncology versus combined gynecologic oncology and urogynecology surgeries. METHODS: We identified patients who underwent gynecologic oncology surgeries from 2016 to 2019 in the National Inpatient Sample using the International Classification of Diseases-10 codes. Demographics, including race and insurance status, were compared for patients who underwent gynecologic oncology procedures only (Oncologic) and those who underwent concurrent incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse procedures (Urogynecologic-Oncologic). A logistic regression model assessed variables of interest after adjustment for other relevant variables. RESULTS: From 2016 to 2019 the National Inpatient Sample database contained 389 (1.14%) Urogynecologic-Oncologic cases and 33 796 (98.9%) Oncologic cases. Urogynecologic-Oncologic patients were less likely to be white (62.1% vs 68.8%, p=0.02) and were older (median 67 vs 62 years, p<0.001) than Oncologic patients. The Urogynecologic-Oncologic cohort was less likely to have private insurance as their primary insurance (31.9% vs 38.9%, p=0.01) and was more likely to have Medicare (52.2% vs 42.8%, p=0.01). After multivariable analysis, black (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.41, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.89, p=0.02) and Hispanic patients (aOR 1.53, 95% CI 1.11 to 2.10, p=0.02) remained more likely to undergo Urogynecologic-Oncologic surgeries but the primary expected payer no longer differed significantly between the two groups (p=0.95). Age at admission, patient residence, and teaching location remained significantly different between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this analysis of a large inpatient database we identified notable racial and geographical differences between the cohorts of patients who underwent Urogynecologic-Oncologic and Oncologic procedures.

MR defecography in assessing stress urinary incontinence with or without symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse.

PURPOSE: Utilize magnetic resonance defecography (MRD) to analyze the primary pelvic floor dysfunctions in patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) associated with pelvic organ prolapse (POP), and in SUI patients with asymptomatic POP. METHOD: We performed MRD in both SUI and POP subjects. As a primary analysis, the functional MR parameters were compared between the isolated POP and POP combined SUI groups. As a secondary analysis, the functional MR data were compared between the POP combined SUI and the SUI with asymptomatic POP (isolated SUI) groups. RESULTS: MRD noted the main characteristics of SUI combined moderate or severe POP, including the shorter closed urethra length (1.87 cm vs. 2.50 cm, p < 0.001), more prevalent urethral hypermobility (112.31° vs. 85.67°, p = 0.003), bladder neck funneling (48.28% vs. 20.51%, p = 0.020), lower position of vesicourethral junction (2.11 cm vs. 1.67 cm, p = 0.030), and more severe prolapse of the posterior bladder wall (6.26 cm vs. 4.35 cm, p = 0.008). The isolated SUI patients showed the shortest length of the closed urethra (1.56 cm vs. 1.87 cm, p = 0.029), a larger vesicourethral angle (153.80° vs. 107.58°, p < 0.001), the more positive bladder funneling (84.85% vs. 48.28%, p = 0.002) and a special urethral opening sign (45.45% vs. 3.45%, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with SUI accompanying POP primarily exhibit excessive urethral mobility and a shortened urethral closure. SUI patients with asymptomatic POP mainly show dysfunction of the urethra and bladder neck, characterized by the opening of the urethra and bladder neck and a shortened urethral closure.

Trends and focal points in pelvic floor reconstruction for pelvic organ prolapse: A bibliometric analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the current research trends and focal points in the field of pelvic floor reconstruction for the management of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). METHODS: To achieve this objective, a bibliometric analysis was conducted on relevant literature using the Citespace database. The analysis led to the creation of a knowledge map, offering a comprehensive overview of scientific advancements in this research area. RESULTS: The study included a total of 607 publications, revealing a consistent increase in articles addressing pelvic floor reconstruction for POP treatment. Most articles originated from the United States (317 articles), followed by Chinese scholars (40 articles). However, it is important to note that the overall number of articles remains relatively low. The organization with the highest publication frequency was the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, where Matthew D. Barber leads the academic group. Barber himself has the highest number of published articles (18 articles), followed by Zhu Lan, a Chinese scholar (10 articles). Key topics with high frequency and mediated centrality include stress urinary incontinence, quality of life, impact, and age. The journal with the largest number of papers from both domestic and international researchers is INT UROGYNECOL J. The study's hotspots mainly focus on the impact of pelvic floor reconstruction on the treatment and quality of life of POP patients. The United States leads in this field, but there is a lack of cooperation between countries, institutions, and authors. Moving forward, cross-institutional, cross-national, and cross-disciplinary exchanges and cooperation should be strengthened to further advance the field of pelvic floor reconstructive surgery for POP research.

Prevalence of colorectal symptoms and anal incontinence in patients with pelvic organ prolapse attended at an outpatient urogynecology service.

Objective: To analyze data of patients with symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse evaluated with PFDI20 and its subscales to report the prevalence of lower gastrointestinal symptoms and anal incontinence in the population of a public hospital and analyze its impact on quality of life. Methods: Cross-sectional study of patients with symptomatic POP. Patients were evaluated with demographic data, POP-Q, pelvic floor ultrasonography, urological parameters, and pelvic floor symptoms (PFDI-20), and quality of life (P-QoL) surveys. Patients were classified as CRADI-8 "positive" for colorectal symptoms, with responses "moderate" in at least 3 and/or "severe" in at least 2 of the items in the CRADI-8 questionnaires. Results: One hundred thirteen patients were included. 42.5% (48) were considered positive for colorectal symptoms on CRADI-8. 53.4% presented anal incontinence. No significant differences were found in sociodemographic variables, POP-Q stage, ultrasound parameters, or urological parameters. Positive patients had a significantly worse result in PFDI-20, POPDI (48 vs 28; p<0.001), UDI6 (51 vs 24; p<0.001), and in the areas of social limitation (44.4 vs 22.2; p = 0.045), sleep- energy (61.5 vs 44.4; p = 0.08), and severity (56.8 vs 43.7, p=0.015) according to P-QoL. Conclusion: Moderate or severe colorectal symptoms are seen in 40% of patients with symptomatic POP in our unit. Full evaluation of pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms should be performed routinely in urogynecology units.(FONIS SA12I2I53 - NCT02113969).

Mid-term outcomes of laparoscopic vaginal stump?round (Kakinuma method) and stump?uterosacral (Shull method) ligament fixation for pelvic organ prolapse: a retrospective comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy (LSC) and robot-assisted sacrocolpopexy (RSC) using mesh are popular approaches for treating pelvic organ prolapse (POP). However, it is not uncommon that native tissue repair (NTR) should be presented as an option to patients who are expected to have extensive intraperitoneal adhesion or patients for whom LSC or RSC is difficult owing to various risk factors. Laparoscopic vaginal stump-uterosacral ligament fixation (Shull method) has been introduced as a method for NTR in case of POP. However, effective repair using this surgical procedure may not be possible in severe POPs. To solve the problems of the Shull method, we devised the laparoscopic vaginal stump-round ligament fixation (Kakinuma method) in which the vaginal stump is fixed to the uterine round ligament, a histologically strong tissue positioned anatomically higher than the uterosacral ligament. This study aimed to retrospectively and clinically compare the two methods. METHODS: Of the 78 patients who underwent surgery for POP between January 2017 and June 2022 and postoperative follow-up for at least a year, 40 patients who underwent the Shull method (Shull group) and 38 who underwent the Kakinuma method (Kakinuma group) were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed between the two groups in patient background variables such as mean age, parity, body mass index, and POP-Q stage. The mean operative duration and mean blood loss in the Shull group were 140.5 ± 31.7 min and 91.3 ± 96.3 ml, respectively, whereas the respective values in the Kakinuma group were 112.2 ± 25.3 min and 31.4 ± 47.7 ml, respectively. Thus, compared with the Shull group, the operative duration was significantly shorter (P < 0.001) and blood loss was significantly less (P = 0.003) in the Kakinuma group. Recurrence was observed in six patients (15.0%) in the Shull group and two patients (5.3%) in the Kakinuma group. Hence, compared with the Shull group, recurrence was significantly less in the Kakinuma group (P = 0.015). No patients experienced perioperative complications in either group. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the Kakinuma method can serve as a novel and viable NTR procedure for POP.

Comparison between fascia lata and rectus fascia in treatment of pelvic organ prolapse: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this systematic review is to present and compare results from studies that have been using autologous tissue for POP repair. METHODS: Systematic review was done according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews. We aimed to retrieve reports of published and ongoing studies on the efficacy and safety of autologous tissue in vaginal vault prolapse repair. The databases searched were MEDLINE (PubMed interface), Scopus, Cohrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and ClinicalTrials.gov. RESULTS: The success rate varied among studies. In fascia-lata group success rate reports varied from 83 to a 100%, with a median follow-up from 12 to 52 months among studies. Rectus fascia reported success rates from 87 to a 100% with a follow-up of 12 months to longest of 98 months. CONCLUSION: Autologous tissues show satisfying outcomes in terms of safety and efficacy. Sacrocolpopexy procedure with fascia lata has better outcome in term of treatment of prolapse. Harvesting place on lateral side of buttock has more complications in comparison with rectus fascia but size of the graft can be wider in fascia-lata group.

Cost-effectiveness of pessary therapy versus surgery for symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse: an economic evaluation alongside a randomised non-inferiority controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of pessary therapy as an initial treatment option compared with surgery for moderate to severe pelvic organ prolapse (POP) symptoms in secondary care from a healthcare and a societal perspective. DESIGN: Economic evaluation alongside a multicentre randomised controlled non-inferiority trial with a 24-month follow-up. SETTING: 21 hospitals in the Netherlands, recruitment conducted between 2015 and 2022. PARTICIPANTS: 1605 women referred to secondary care with symptomatic prolapse stage ≥2 were requested to participate. Of them, 440 women gave informed consent and were randomised to pessary therapy (n=218) or to surgery (n=222) in a 1:1 ratio stratified by hospital. INTERVENTIONS: Pessary therapy and surgery. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I), a 7-point scale dichotomised into successful versus unsuccessful, with a non-inferiority margin of -10%; quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) measured by the EQ-5D-3L; healthcare and societal costs were based on medical records and the institute for Medical Technology Assessment questionnaires. RESULTS: For the PGI-I, the mean difference between pessary therapy and surgery was -0.05 (95% CI -0.14; 0.03) and -0.03 (95% CI -0.07; 0.002) for QALYs. In total, 54.1% women randomised to pessary therapy crossed over to surgery, and 3.6% underwent recurrent surgery. Healthcare and societal costs were significantly lower in the pessary therapy (mean difference=-€1807, 95% CI -€2172; -€1446 and mean difference=-€1850, 95% CI -€2349; -€1341, respectively). The probability that pessary therapy is cost-effective compared with surgery was 1 at willingness-to-pay thresholds between €0 and €20 000/QALY gained from both perspectives. CONCLUSIONS: Non-inferiority of pessary therapy regarding the PGI-I could not be shown and no statistically significant differences in QALYs between interventions were found. Due to significantly lower costs, pessary therapy is likely to be cost-effective compared with surgery as an initial treatment option for women with symptomatic POP treated in secondary care. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NTR4883.

Prevalence and associated factors of depression among women with advanced pelvic organ prolapse in Northwest Ethiopia: cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Depression is a symptom characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, feelings of tiredness and poor concentration. One of the most common mental illnesses in the world and a major contributor to morbidity and mortality is depression. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of depression and the risk factors associated with it in women who had advanced pelvic organ prolapse. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted to determine depression among advanced pelvic organ prolapse women at Gondar University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. All women who have advanced pelvic organ prolapse were consecutively included till it reached a total of 367 participants over four months. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain the sociodemographic characteristics, clinical characteristics and depression status of the participants. Depression measures were obtained by using the Patient Health Questionnaire tool, which is validated in the Ethiopian local language for chronic illnesses including pelvic organ prolapse using a cut point of five and above, which is considered to indicate depression. Women who screened positive were linked to a psychiatric clinic for further evaluation and treatment. Data was entered into a computer using Epi Info version 3.5.3 and then exported to STATA version 14 for analysis. Multivariable logistic regressions were fitted and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals with a P value less than 0.05 were used to identify statistically significant factors. RESULTS: The prevalence of depression was found to be 47.1% (95% CI: 43-52%). Being rural (AOR = 4.8; CI: 1.11-16.32), having a history of divorce because of pelvic organ prolapse (AOR = 5.5; CI: 1.85-16.32) and having a history of urinary symptoms (AOR = 3.1; CI: 1.12-8.59) were found to be independently associated with depression. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of depression among women with advanced pelvic organ prolapse in this study is high as compared to other studies. Depression screening strategies should be designed for the early identification and treatment of depression among women with advanced pelvic organ prolapse.

Clinical and cost-effectiveness of pessary self-management versus clinic-based care for pelvic organ prolapse in women: the TOPSY RCT with process evaluation.

Background: Pelvic organ prolapse is common, causes unpleasant symptoms and negatively affects women's quality of life. In the UK, most women with pelvic organ prolapse attend clinics for pessary care. Objectives: To determine the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of vaginal pessary self-management on prolapse-specific quality of life for women with prolapse compared with clinic-based care; and to assess intervention acceptability and contextual influences on effectiveness, adherence and fidelity. Design: A multicentre, parallel-group, superiority randomised controlled trial with a mixed-methods process evaluation. Participants: Women attending UK NHS outpatient pessary services, aged ≥ 18 years, using a pessary of any type/material (except shelf, Gellhorn or Cube) for at least 2 weeks. Exclusions: women with limited manual dexterity, with cognitive deficit (prohibiting consent or self-management), pregnant or non-English-speaking. Intervention: The self-management intervention involved a 30-minute teaching appointment, an information leaflet, a 2-week follow-up telephone call and a local clinic telephone helpline number. Clinic-based care involved routine appointments determined by centres' usual practice. Allocation: Remote web-based application; minimisation was by age, pessary user type and centre. Blinding: Participants, those delivering the intervention and researchers were not blinded to group allocation. Outcomes: The patient-reported primary outcome (measured using the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire-7) was prolapse-specific quality of life, and the cost-effectiveness outcome was incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (a specifically developed health Resource Use Questionnaire was used) at 18 months post randomisation. Secondary outcome measures included self-efficacy and complications. Process evaluation data were collected by interview, audio-recording and checklist. Analysis was by intention to treat. Results: Three hundred and forty women were randomised (self-management, n = 169; clinic-based care, n = 171). At 18 months post randomisation, 291 questionnaires with valid primary outcome data were available (self-management, n = 139; clinic-based care, n = 152). Baseline economic analysis was based on 264 participants (self-management, n = 125; clinic-based care, n = 139) with valid quality of life and resource use data. Self-management was an acceptable intervention. There was no group difference in prolapse-specific quality of life at 18 months (adjusted mean difference -0.03, 95% confidence interval -9.32 to 9.25). There was fidelity to intervention delivery. Self-management was cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of £20,000 per quality-adjusted life-year gained, with an estimated incremental net benefit of £564.32 and an 80.81% probability of cost-effectiveness. At 18 months, more pessary complications were reported in the clinic-based care group (adjusted mean difference 3.83, 95% confidence interval 0.81 to 6.86). There was no group difference in general self-efficacy, but self-managing women were more confident in pessary self-management activities. In both groups, contextual factors impacted on adherence and effectiveness. There were no reported serious unexpected serious adverse reactions. There were 32 serious adverse events (self-management, n = 17; clinic-based care, n = 14), all unrelated to the intervention. Skew in the baseline data for the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire-7, the influence of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the potential effects of crossover and the lack of ethnic diversity in the recruited sample were possible limitations. Conclusions: Self-management was acceptable and cost-effective, led to fewer complications and did not improve or worsen quality of life for women with prolapse compared with clinic-based care. Future research is needed to develop a quality-of-life measure that is sensitive to the changes women desire from treatment. Study registration: This study is registered as ISRCTN62510577. Funding: This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme (NIHR award ref: 16/82/01) and is published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 28, No. 23. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.

Pelvic organ prolapse is a common and distressing condition experienced by large numbers of women. Prolapse is when the organs that are usually in the pelvis drop down into the vagina. Women experience a feeling of something coming down into the vagina, along with bowel, bladder and sexual problems. One possible treatment is a vaginal pessary. The pessary is a device that is inserted into the vagina and holds the pelvic organs back in their usual place. Women who use a vaginal pessary usually come back to clinic every 6 months to have their pessary removed and replaced; this is called clinic-based care. However, it is possible for a woman to look after the pessary herself; this is called self-management. This study compared self-management with clinic-based care. Three hundred and forty women with prolapse took part; 171 received clinic-based care and 169 undertook self-management. Each woman had an equal chance of being in either group. Women in the self-management group received a 30-minute teaching appointment, an information leaflet, a 2-week follow-up telephone call and a telephone number for their local centre. Women in the clinic-based care group returned to clinic as advised by the treating healthcare professional. Self-management was found to be acceptable. Women self-managed their pessary in ways that suited their lifestyle. After 18 months, there was no difference between the groups in women's quality of life. Women in the self-management group experienced fewer pessary complications than women who received clinic-based care. Self-management costs less to deliver than clinic-based care. In summary, self-management did not improve women's quality of life more than clinic-based care, but it did lead to women experiencing fewer complications and cost less to deliver in the NHS. The findings support self-management as a treatment pathway for women using a pessary for prolapse.

Measuring Pelvic Organ Prolapse: An Evolution.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Advances in our understanding of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) have been made with the introduction of valid, reliable measures of anatomy and patient-reported outcome measures. METHODS: This review provides an overview of the evolution of POP measurement and its implications for clinical practice and research. RESULTS: Since the introduction of the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POPQ), studies have demonstrated that some degree of loss of anatomic support is normal, with as many as 40% of normal women having stage 2 prolapse. Vaginal support is dynamic and can wax and wane but is largely stable over time. Vaginal bulge symptoms are the most reliable and specific symptom for POP and the hymen is an important threshold for symptom development. Most pelvic floor symptoms have only weak to moderate correlation with the anatomic severity of POP. Treatment success rates are highly variable depending upon criteria used and definitions of anatomic success commonly used are too strict and often not clinically relevant. There is substantial discordance between subjective and anatomic measures of success, and both are dynamic, fluctuating between success and failure for many patients without intervening treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Pelvic organ prolapse is multidimensional, dynamic, and has a complex impact on patients. Patients' symptoms are more clinically relevant than anatomic support. Symptomatic cure, particularly the absence of vaginal bulge symptoms, is more clinically relevant than anatomic cure and composite outcomes can be misleading and overestimate failure rates. Future studies should compare treatments using continuous variables along multiple dimensions rather than using composite outcomes or dichotomizing patients into success or failure.

Advantages of Laparoscopic Treatment in Pelvic Static Disorders by Lateral Hystero/Colpopexy - A Single Center Experience.

Introduction: Pelvic organ prolapse is the most frequent and common health problem faced by most patients, representing the descent into the vagina or beyond the introitus of one or more pelvic organs, involving three compartments: anterior-bladder, apical-uterus and posterior-rectus. Lateral hystero/colpopexy is an alternative approach in the repair of symptomatic anterior and apical pelvic prolapse. The main objective is to correct pelvic floor defects, restore anatomy, relieve pressure and maintain normal sexual function. Material and Methods: Surgical intervention was applied to patients with prolapse greater than grade II according to the international prolapse quantification system (POP-Q). For apical, anterior prolapse, the bladder peritoneum is dissected and a polypropylene mesh is fitted to the round ligaments with suspension of the isthmus and cervix and fixation of the mesh with CapSure tacks followed by closure of the vaginal peritoneum. Results: During the performance of the technique I had no intraoperative or postoperative complications. Conservation of the uterus proved to be effective for prolapse correction, significant improvements in patient quality of life, frequency of nocturia, degree of dyspareunia and urgency symptoms were observed. Conclusion: Uterine preservation by lateral hystero/colpopexy is a new, feasible and successful method for treating prolapse.

Pelvic Organ Prolapse Reconstruction with the Chitosan-Based Novel Haemostatic Agent in Ovine Model-Preliminary Report.

This prospective study aimed to assess the feasibility of chitosan biomaterial and subcutaneous gel implantation in an ovine model, with implications for women with genital prolapse. Twenty-four ewes were divided into four groups (n = 6 per group): chitosan type B, chitosan type C, chitosan unmodified injections, and polypropylene mesh. Ovine models were chosen due to their morphological resemblance to human reproductive organs. Animals were sacrificed after 90 days for macroscopic, pathomorphological, and immunohistochemical analysis. In the chitosan type B group, IL-6 and IL-10 levels decreased after 28 days, while chitosan type C and injection groups exhibited higher IL-6 than IL-10 levels. The polypropylene group displayed the highest IL-6 and lowest IL-10 levels. Histological examination of the polypropylene group revealed no degenerative changes or inflammation, whereas chitosan injection induced local inflammation. Other groups exhibited no degenerative changes. Ewes implanted with chitosan displayed reduced inflammation compared to polypropylene-implanted ewes. Chitosan implantation facilitated vaginal tissue healing, in contrast to polypropylene mesh, which led to extrusion. While chitosan holds promise as an alternative to polypropylene mesh, further research is imperative for comprehensive evaluation. This study suggests the potential of a chitosan biomaterial in pelvic organ prolapse treatment, warranting additional investigation.

Patients' perspectives on quality and patient safety failures: lessons learned from an inquiry into transvaginal mesh in Australia.

BACKGROUND: Transvaginal mesh (TVM) surgeries emerged as an innovative treatment for stress urine incontinency and/or pelvic organ prolapse in 1996. Years after rapid adoption of these surgeries into practice, they are a key example of worldwide failure of healthcare quality and patient safety. The prevalence of TVM-associated harms eventually prompted action globally, including an Australian Commonwealth Government Senate Inquiry in 2017. METHOD: We analysed 425 submissions made by women (n = 417) and their advocates (n = 8) to the Australian Senate Inquiry, and documents from 5 public hearings, using deductive and inductive coding, categorisation and thematic analysis informed by three 'linked dilemmas' from healthcare quality and safety theory. We focused on women's accounts of: a) how harms arose from TVM procedures, and b) micro, meso and macro factors that contributed to their experience. Our aim was to explain, from a patient perspective, how these harms persisted in Australian healthcare, and to identify mechanisms at micro, meso and macro levels explaining quality and safety system failure. RESULTS: Our findings suggest three mechanisms explaining quality and safety failure: 1. Individual clinicians could ignore cases of TVM injury or define them as 'non-preventable'; 2. Women could not go beyond their treating clinicians to participate in defining and governing quality and safety; and. 3. Health services set thresholds for concern based on proportion of cases harmed, not absolute number or severity of harms. CONCLUSION: We argue that privileging clinical perspectives over patient perspectives in evaluating TVM outcomes allowed micro-level actors to dismiss women's lived experience, such that women's accounts of harms had insufficient or no weight at meso and macro levels. Establishing system-wide expectations regarding responsiveness to patients, and communication of patient reported outcomes in evaluation of healthcare delivery, may help prevent similar failures.

Quality of Life after Treatment for Pelvic Organ Prolapse in Real-World Study: Recommendations, Vaginal Pessary, and Surgery.

Background and Objectives: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common condition in women, with its prevalence increasing with age, and can significantly impact the quality of life (QOL) of many individuals. The objective of this study was to assess the overall improvement, quality of life, and continuation of primary treatment for POP over a 24-month period in a real-world setting. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective, observational, follow-up study of women with symptomatic POP who, as a primary treatment, opted for recommendations (lifestyle changes and pelvic floor muscle training), pessary therapy, or surgery. The primary outcome measure was a subjective improvement at the 24-month follow-up, measured with the Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) scale. Secondary outcome measures were the continuation rate of the primary treatment method, reason for discontinuation, and the quality of life evaluated with the P-QoL questionnaire. Results: We included 137 women, with 45 women (32.8%) in the recommendations group, 39 (28.5%) in the pessary group, and 53 women (38.7%) in the surgery group. After 24 months, surgery, in comparison with pessary treatment and recommendations, resulted in significantly more women reporting a subjective improvement: 89.6%, 66.7%, and 22.9% (p < 0.001), respectively. Overall, 52% of women from the recommendations group and 36.4% from the pessary group switched to another treatment or discontinued the primary treatment within 24 months. However, women who continued the primary treatment, pessary use, and surgery showed similar subjective improvements (90.5% and 89.6%, respectively) and quality-of-life improvement. Conclusions: The chance of significant improvement was higher following surgery. However, after 24 months, both vaginal pessaries and surgery showed an important quality-of life improvement and can be proposed as primary treatment methods for pelvic organ prolapse.

Pelvic organ prolapse: a cross-sectional study during mass campaign in two hospitals in the city of Kananga in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Introduction: pelvic organ prolapse is a dynamic pathology that can worsen or regress especially postpartum and is the basis of several disorders that bother the patient and alter her quality of life. This study aims to determine the epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic profile of pelvic organ prolapse in the town of Kananga. Methods: this is a cross-sectional study of cases of pelvic organ prolapse recorded during the mass campaign organized in the Bon-Berger Hospital of Tshikaji and Saint Georges Hospital of Katoka in the town of Kananga, from January 1 to July 31, 2023. Non-probability convenience sampling was used to select cases. Results: we recorded 138 cases of prolapse out of 572 patients. The prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse is 24.12% with an average monthly incidence of 19.71 (SD: 4.23) cases per month. The prevalence of recurrence of pelvic organ prolapse is 8.69%. The average age of patients is 54.86 (SD: 11.36) years with an average parity of 7.62 (SD: 1.8) deliveries. Its preoperative symptomatology consists of the intravaginal mass associated with digestive and urinary disorders in 97.00% (n=130), stage III hysterocele predominates in 68.70% (n=92), surgical treatment is the most practiced in 91.79% (n=123) and hysterectomy associated with the treatment of cystocele and rectocele by vaginal surgical access is the most practiced in 80.60% (n=108). Conclusion: pelvic organ prolapse is a real public health problem in the city of Kananga, its symptoms are classic and its treatment is surgical via the vaginal route.

Pelvic organ prolapse: self-management of pessaries can be a good option.

The studyHagen S, Kearney R, Goodman K, et al. Clinical effectiveness of vaginal pessary self-management vs clinic-based care for pelvic organ prolapse (TOPSY): a randomised controlled superiority trial. eClinicalMedicine 2023;66:102326.To read the full NIHR Alert, go to: https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/alert/pelvic-organ-prolapse-self-management-of-pessaries-can-be-a-good-option/.

Associated factors of vaginal laxity and female sexual function: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Female sexual dysfunction (FSD), including vaginal laxity (VL), can lead to a decrease in quality of life and affect partner relationships. AIM: We aimed to investigate the associated factors of VL and FSD and their relationship with other pelvic floor disorders in a female population. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital from July to December 2022. All women referred to clinical care at the urogynecology clinic were included. Participants were assessed according to sociodemographic and clinical aspects, the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification system, sexual function, VL, sexual attitudes, sexual distress, sexual quality of life, vaginal symptoms, and pelvic floor disorders. Unadjusted and adjusted associated factors of VL and FSD were analyzed. OUTCOMES: The primary outcome was the identification of the associated factors of VL and FSD in a female population, and secondary outcomes included the association between VL and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) with the questionnaire scores. RESULTS: Among participants (N = 300), vaginal delivery, multiparity, perineal laceration, menopause, and gel hormone were significantly more frequent in those reporting VL (all P < .05). When compared with nulliparity, primiparity and multiparity increased the odds of VL by approximately 4 and 12 times, respectively (unadjusted odds ratio [OR], 4.26 [95% CI, 2.05-8.85]; OR, 12.77 [95% CI, 6.53-24.96]). Menopause and perineal laceration increased the odds of VL by 4 and 6 times (unadjusted OR, 4.65 [95% CI, 2.73-7.93]; OR, 6.13 [95% CI, 3.58-10.49]). In multivariate analysis, menopause, primiparity, multiparity, and POP remained associated with VL. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Parity, as an obstetric factor, and menopause and staging of POP, as clinical factors, were associated with VL. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: The investigation of associated factors for VL will contribute to the understanding of its pathophysiology. The study design makes it impossible to carry out causal inference. CONCLUSION: Menopause, primiparity, multiparity, and POP were highly associated with VL complaints in multivariate analysis.

Should sacrouterine plication be added to lateral suspension surgery? A prospective study.

AIM: Laparoscopic lateral suspension is a novel approach for repairing anterior and apical pelvic organ prolapse (POP). According to integral theory, urinary symptoms and pelvic pain are believed to originate from suspensory ligaments. We aimed to investigate the objective and subjective outcomes of adding sacroterine plication to apical prolapse surgery. METHODS: Sixty patients with Grade 2 or higher symptomatic apical POP were included in the study. The study sample was categorized into two groups: Group 1 underwent lateral suspension and Group 2 underwent lateral suspension and sacroterine plication. Anatomical cure was defined separately for the apical and anterior compartments as POP-Q scores for sites C and Ba of less than -1 cm for each compartment. A subjective cure was defined as the absence of bulge symptoms. Patient satisfaction, sexual function, prolapse-related quality of life, voiding dysfunction, nocturia, and constipation were assessed. RESULTS: In Group 1, anatomical cure rates for apical and anterior prolapse were 100% and 70%, respectively (p <0.001). In Group 2, these rates were 100% for apical prolapse and 73.3% for anterior prolapse (p <0.001). The subjective cure was 96.6% in both groups. Furthermore, improvement in sexual and urinary symptoms was more significant in the group that underwent sacroterine plication (p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The additional sacroterine plication (shortening) procedure with lateral suspension proved to be an effective and successful surgical approach for apical prolapse. Its routine addition to existing lateral suspension surgery can contribute significantly to the improvement of urinary and prolapse symptoms.