Comparison of Trendelenburg Angles in Vaginal, Laparoscopic, and Robotic Uterovaginal Apical Prolapse Repairs.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare the Trendelenburg angle used in laparoscopic uterovaginal apical prolapse repairs with the angles used in vaginal and robotic uterovaginal apical prolapse repairs. DESIGN: Prospective, multicenter cohort study from May 2015 to December 2016. SETTING: Two academic teaching hospitals. PATIENTS: Sixty patients who underwent vaginal high uterosacral ligament suspension, laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy, or robotic sacrocolpopexy performed by 6 surgeons board-certified in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. INTERVENTIONS: Measurement of Trendelenburg angle and time spent in Trendelenburg during surgery. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Twenty patients were enrolled in each procedure group. The median maximum angle of Trendelenburg was significantly greater in the laparoscopic group (22° [20-25]) than in the vaginal group (15° [6-19]; p <.001) and the robotic group (19° [16-21]; p = .02). The participants in the laparoscopic group spent significantly more time overall in Trendelenburg (176 minutes [143-221]) than those in the robotic group (150 minutes [127-161]; p = .01) and those in the vaginal group (120 minutes [86-128]; p <.001). The participants in the laparoscopic and robotic groups spent similar amounts of time in maximum Trendelenburg (116 minutes [52-164] and 117 minutes [61-134], respectively; p = .56), whereas the participants in the vaginal group spent significantly less time in maximum Trendelenburg (10 minutes [7-38]) than those in the laparoscopic group (p <.001). The total median operative time was highest for the laparoscopic approach (211 minutes [173-270]), followed by the robotic approach (181 minutes [165-201]) and the vaginal approach (162 minutes [128-186]; p = .008). CONCLUSION: The median maximum angle of Trendelenburg was highest in laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy-followed by robotic sacrocolpopexy-and lowest in vaginal high uterosacral ligament suspension. Patients who underwent robotic sacrocolpopexy spent less time in Trendelenburg than those who underwent the laparoscopic approach. Prolonged, steep Trendelenburg is often not required for any of the 3 surgical procedures, but a vaginal approach should be considered for those at high risk of complications from Trendelenburg position.

Postoperative Admission, Readmission, and Complications for Patients 60 Years and Older Who Are Undergoing an Isolated Sling Procedure for Stress Incontinence: A Database Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of increasing age on postoperative admission, readmission, and complications for patients 60 years and older who underwent a synthetic or autologous sling procedure for stress incontinence. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of surgical cases from 2012 to 2017 from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was conducted. Eligible patients were at least 60 years old and underwent an isolated sling procedure for stress incontinence identified by Current Procedural Terminology code 57288. Baseline demographics, preoperative comorbidities, and postoperative complications were obtained. Risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using log-binomial regressions. RESULTS: Of 3,960 eligible patients, 634 (16.0%) were admitted postoperatively. Admission rates differed across age groups (P = 0.04). For example, compared with patients aged 60-64 years, those aged 70-74 years had 1.3 times the risk of admission (95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.6). Other risk factors for admission included diabetes (RR, 1.3) and hypertension (RR, 1.2). Patients who had general anesthesia had 6.3 times the risk of admission compared with those who had monitored anesthesia/intravenous sedation. There were 72 patients (1.8%) readmitted within 30 days. There was no association between age and readmission. Risk factors for readmission included diabetes (RR, 1.8), bleeding disorders (RR, 3.4), severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (RR, 3.7), and congestive heart failure (RR, 11.3). There were 192 complications (4.8%), including 45 major complications (1.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients 60 years and older, the risk of postoperative admission and readmission for patients undergoing a synthetic or autologous sling procedure is low and complications are uncommon.

Salary Disparities in Academic Urogynecology: Despite Increased Transparency, Men Still Earn More Than Women.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the compensation differences between male and female academic urogynecologists at public institutions. METHODS: Urogynecologists at public universities with publicly available salary data as of June 2019 were eligible for the study. We collected characteristics, including sex, additional advanced degrees, years of training, board certification, leadership roles, number of authored scientific publications, and total National Institutes of Health funding projects and number of registered clinical trials for which the physician was a principal or co-investigator. We also collected total number of Medicare beneficiaries treated and total Medicare reimbursement as reported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. We used linear regression to adjust for potential confounders. RESULTS: We identified 85 academic urogynecologists at 29 public state academic institutions with available salary data eligible for inclusion in the study. Males were more likely to be an associate or a full professor (81%) compared with females (55%) and were more likely to serve as department chair, vice chair, or division director (59%) compared with females (30%). The mean annual salary was significantly higher among males ($323,227 ± $97,338) than females ($268,990 ± $72,311, P = 0.004). After adjusting for academic rank and leadership roles and years since residency, the discrepancy persisted, with females compensated on average $37,955 less annually. CONCLUSIONS: Salaries are higher for male urogynecologists than female urogynecologists, even when accounting for variables such as academic rank and leadership roles. Physician compensation is complex; the differences observed may be due to variables that are not captured in this study. Nevertheless, the magnitude of disparity found in our study warrants further critical assessment of potential biases within the field.