Evaluating Non-ablative Erbium Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (YAG) Laser Treatment for Polypropylene Mesh-Induced Vaginal Erosion: A Case Series.

Background Vaginal erosion caused by the polypropylene mesh is a serious side effect, and the development of effective treatment methods is required. This study explored the potential of non-ablative vaginal erbium yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) laser treatment (VEL) as a novel treatment approach. Methods In this study, VEL was performed on nine women who experienced vaginal erosion after undergoing treatment for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) with polypropylene mesh. These patients visited our hospital between April and December 2020. Using the Renovalase (SP Dynamis Fotona d.o.o., Ljubljana, Slovenia), the laser was applied to the entire vagina, with intensive irradiation focused on the erosion areas. Detailed analyses of symptoms before and after treatment, as well as histopathological changes, were conducted one year post-treatment. Results Nine women were referred to our hospital due to vaginal erosion caused by polypropylene mesh. The participants' average age was 73.2 years (range: 69-81 years), with four patients having undergone transvaginal mesh (TVM) surgery and five undergoing laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy (LSC). The average time from mesh insertion to treatment initiation was 7.2 years (range: 3-15 years), with eight patients having previously attempted mesh removal. Post-treatment, significant improvements were observed in managing vaginal erosion and related bleeding, corroborated by histopathological analysis confirming cell regeneration and tissue repair. These improvements also resulted in significant improvements in bleeding management and quality of life (QoL). Conclusion VEL suggests the possibility of being an effective treatment method for vaginal erosion caused by a polypropylene mesh. However, further research is needed because of the small sample size and the limitations inherent in the retrospective case series design.

[Complications of mid-urethral sling - A review from the Committee for Female Urology and Pelviperineology for the French Association of Urology]. / Complications des bandelettes sous urétrales : une revue de la littérature par le Comité d'urologie et pelvipérinéologie de la femme de l'Association française d'urologie.

INTRODUCTION: Placement of a mid-urethral sling is the gold standard in the surgical management of stress urinary incontinence in women in France. The cure rate of this material is no longer to be demonstrated, but the per- and post-operative complications are currently the subject of a growing controversy not only in Europe but also across the Channel and across the Atlantic, having led to the modification of operative indications. In France, recommendations are also evolving with a stricter framework for indications for surgery by multidisciplinary consultation meeting and an obligation for postoperative follow-up in the short and long term. OBJECTIVES: In this context, CUROPF realized a review of the literature bringing together the available scientific evidence concerning the occurrence of per- and post-operative complications relating to the installation of mid urethral sling. The bibliographic search was carried out using the Medline database and 123 articles were selected. RESULTS: Analysis of the data highlights various complications, depending on the implanted material, the patient and the indication for surgery. The retro-pubic mid urethral sling provides more bladder erosion during surgery (up to 14%), more suprapubic pain (up to 4%) and more acute urinary retention (up to 19,7%) and postoperative dysuria (up to 26%). The trans obturator mid-urethral sling is responsible for more vaginal erosion during the operation (up to 10,9%), more lower limb pain of neurological origin (up to 26,7%). The risk of developing over active bladder is similar in both procedures (up to 33%). But these risks of complications must be balanced by the strong impact of urinary incontinence surgery on the overall quality of life of these women. CONCLUSION: Thus, surgical failure and long term complications exist but should not limit the surgical management of stress urinary incontinence with mid urethral tape. Women should be treated with individualized decision-making process and long-term follow -up is necessary.

Late suture site complications of sacrospinous ligament fixation.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the late suture- related complications of sacrospinous ligament fixation (SSLF) as a treatment for uterovaginal prolapse and their impact on the quality of life. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. SETTINGS: The Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Suez Canal University Hospitals, Ismailia, Egypt from January 2014 to June 2018. PATIENTS: We recruited sixty women with uterovaginal prolapse. INTERVENTIONS: Patients underwent SSLF using the Capio suture recapturing device with non-absorbable suture material (0 braided Polyester). Postoperative visits were at six weeks then at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after the procedure. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Outcome measures were the rate and timing of suture- related and the quality of life using the pelvic floor impact questionnaire-7 at 24 months postoperatively. The mean age of the studied population was 45.7 ± 9.8 years. Suture- related complications occurred in 55% (33/60) of patients, with vaginal discharge the most commonly reported symptom. Most of them presented in the 1st year after the procedure 72.7% (24/33), and 25% (15/60) had suture removal. However, there was a significant improvement in patients' quality of life. CONCLUSION: Sacrospinous ligament fixation has a positive impact on the quality of life, yet associated with significant but prominent suture- related complications.

Incidence of vaginal erosion with different synthetic materials for suburethral sling in the treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence: A systematic review

The aim of this systematic review is to compare the vaginalerosion rates in different synthetic materials used insuburethral slings in Tension Free Vaginal Tape (TVT-O/TOT) procedures in management of female stress urinaryincontinence.Methods: PRISMA 2009 framework was adopted for studydesign. Scholarly literature search was done usingMEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and ClinicalTrials.gov using selected keywords. Five articles fulfilled theinclusion and exclusion criteria. Our main outcome ofinterest is to review the ideal properties of the suburethralsling, procedure of insertion and post-surgical complicationfollowing the sling insertion primarily vaginal erosion.Results were compared using one way-ANOVA test andindependent T- test.Results: Total of 1725 subjects were available for analysisin the five studies. Monofilament polypropylene constituted92.5% of the total sample size from one study alone.Polyester (n= 16/51) causes higher incidence rate of vaginalerosion compared to monofilament polypropylene (31.4 vs.,4.7; p = 0.01). There was no difference in the vaginal erosionrate between monofilament polypropylene and multifilamentpolypropylene (4.7 vs, 14.1; p=0.055) as well as betweenmultifilament polypropylene and polyester (14.1 vs, 31.4;p=0.068). Although there was a marginally lower rate ofvaginal erosion in TVT-O over TVT, the difference was notsignificant. (5.6 vs., 6.4, p=0.468). Common presentations ofvaginal erosion were vaginal discharge, perineal pain anddyspareunia. Conclusion: Given the limited sample size, polyester slingmaterial appears to cause higher rates of vaginal erosion.No difference in erosion rate was seen between TVT andTVT-O.

Reoperations for mesh-related complications after pelvic organ prolapse repair: 8-year experience at a tertiary referral center.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The use of mesh in pelvic organ prolapse (POP) surgery has become a widespread treatment option, but carries a risk of specific complications. The objective was to report the rate and type of reoperation for mesh-related complications after pelvic organ prolapse surgery in an urogynecological referral center over a period of 8 years. METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out including all patients operated for a mesh complication after prolapse surgery between September 2006 and September 2014 in the urogynecology unit in Nîmes hospital. RESULTS: Sixty-nine mesh complications were recorded among the 67 patients included. Surgical treatment of mesh-related complications accounted for 7% of all pelvic surgeries performed in our center. Thirty-two patients (47.8%) were referred from other centers and 35 patients (52.2%) were initially operated in our unit. The global rate of reintervention for mesh-related complications after prolapse repair performed in our unit was 2.8%. Of 69 mesh complications, 48 patients (71.6%) had transvaginal mesh (TVM) and 19 patients (28.4%) sacrocolpopexy (SCP). The indication for surgery was a symptomatic or large vaginal erosion (47.8%), symptomatic mesh contraction (20.3%), and infection (11.6%). The most frequent primary symptom was pelvic/perineal pain or dyspareunia (33.3% of cases). The mean time between initial mesh surgery and the reoperation for a complication was 33.4 months (95% CI, 24.5 to 42.2). Eleven patients (15.9%) required several interventions. In total, 77.9% of patients experienced complete recovery of symptoms after surgical management. CONCLUSION: In a referral center the global rate of reinterventions for mesh-related complications after POP repair is 2.8%. The surgical treatment of mesh complications appears to be a safe and effective procedure with cure of the symptoms in most cases.

[Vaginal mesh exposure after prolapse surgery. A descriptive study of 43 cases: Epidemiology and therapeutic management]. / Expositions prothétiques vaginales après chirurgie du prolapsus. Étude descriptive sur 43 cas: épidémiologie et prise en charge thérapeutique.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence and time of occurrence of vaginal mesh exposure based on the initial surgical approach of prolaps. To describe their therapeutic management. MATERIAL: Descriptive retrospective study of 43 women followed for vaginal mesh exposure diagnosed during a follow-up visit or motivated by symptoms. The initial surgery was performed abdominally (promontofixation) or vaginally. The therapeutic management was carried out by medical and/or surgical (prosthetic resection partial or complete). RESULTS: The prevalence of vaginal exposure was 7.3% in case of vaginal initial surgery and 2.8% in case of promontofixation initial (P=0.02). Mesh exposure have appeared earlier in case of vaginal initial surgery compared to promontofixation (14.9 months vs. 45.2 months). After vaginal initial surgery, vaginal mesh exposure appeared to third within 6 months postoperatively (9/29). The success rate of medical treatment was 21.4%. In total, 31% of women initially made vaginally and 64.9% of women initially made abdominally required at least two surgeries to get a cure. CONCLUSION: Vaginal mesh exposure may be away from the initial surgery, especially when the first initial surgery was abdominal. The medical treatment of vaginal mesh exposure led to poor results. The overall rate of healing in our experience was good but at the cost of considerable morbidity as a significant proportion of patients required two or more surgical interventions.

Experiencia en el tratamiento del prolapso de órganos pélvicos con mallas vaginales en el Hospital Universitario de Caracas

Objetivo: Describir la experiencia en el tratamiento del prolapso de órganos pélvicos con materiales protésicos en la Unidad de Patología de Piso Pélvico del Hospital Universitario de Caracas. Métodos: Estudio retrospectivo, descriptivo. Se incluyeron pacientes con diagnóstico de prolapso, intervenidas con mallas transvaginales entre enero de 2010 y diciembre de 2011, con seguimiento durante 12 meses (N = 49). Resultados: La edad promedio fue 57 ± 5 años. El índice de masa corporal promedio fue 27 kg/m². El 50,9 % de los prolapsos fueron grado II, 37,7 % grado III y 9,4 % grado IV. De los grados II, el 90 % fueron anteriores el 7 % posteriores y 3 % apicales. De los grados III el 58 % fueron anteriores, 37 % apicales y 5 % posteriores. Se observó 66,8 % de complicaciones. La complicación más frecuente fue la extrusión (25 %), seguido de la dispareunia y el acortamiento vaginal mayor de 1 cm, (10,4 % en ambos). Se presentó 6,3 % de urgencia de novo y 4,2 % de incontinencia urinaria de esfuerzo de novo. El hematoma, la obstrucción infravesical y la fístula vesico-vaginal se presentaron en 2,1 % de los casos. La cura objetiva fue de 95,7 % al año de seguimiento. Se observó 4,3 % de recidiva y 12,5 % de prolapso de novo. Conclusión: Las mallas vaginales representan una alternativa quirúrgica segura y eficiente para la corrección del prolapso genital. Las complicaciones son frecuentes, pero de poca gravedad. Sin embargo, la alta incidencia de erosiones puede afectar la calidad de vida de las pacientes. Palabras clave: Prolapso de órganos pélvicos. Mallas transvaginales. Erosión vaginal.

Objective: To describe the experience of pelvic organ prolapse treatment with transvaginal mesh in the Pelvic Floor Pathology Unit at the Hospital Universitario de Caracas. Methods: Retrospective and descriptive study. We included patients with pelvic organ prolapse treated with transvagynal mesh between January 2010 and December 2011, and with a follow up of 12 months (N=49). Results: The mean age was 57 ± 5 years, and the mean body mass index was 27 kg/m². A 50,9 % of pelvic organ prolapse were grade II, 37,7 % were grade III, and 9,4 % were grade IV. Among grade II prolapse, 90 % were anterior, 7 % posterior and 3 % apical. Among grade III prolapse, 58 % were anterior, 37.% posterior and 5 % apical. Complications were observed in 66,8 % of the cases. The most common complication was vaginal erosion (25 %), followed by dyspareunia and vaginal shortening (10,4 % both of them). The novo urgency was observed in 6,3 % of the cases, and de novo urinary stress incontinence in 4,2.%. Hematoma, vesicovaginal fistula, and voiding dysfunction were observed in 2,1 %. The objective cure was 95,7 % at 1 year of follow-up. A 4,3 % of recurrence and 12,5 % of de novo prolapse were observed. Conclusion: Vaginal meshes are a safe and effective alternative in pelvic organ prolapse treatment. Complications are frequent, but most of them are mild. However, the high incidence of vaginal erosion can affect the quality of life of most patients.