Comparison of two natural tissue repair-based surgical techniques; sacrospinous fixation and uterosacral ligament suspension for pelvic organ prolapse treatment

Comparison of High Uterosacral and Sacrospinous Ligament Suspension Surgeries for the Treatment of Pelvic Organ Prolapse in Women

Background

Pelvic floor disorders include urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, and pelvic floor prolapse, which are common complaints in women. Patients that suffer from uterine prolapse could benefit from surgical procedures that stabilize pelvic ligaments. Here, we aimed to compare the high uterosacral and sacrospinous ligament suspension surgeries.

Materials and Methods

This clinical trial was performed in 2019-2021 on 64 women with uterine prolapse. Demographic data of the patients, including age, body mass index (BMI), past medical diseases, history of delivery, type of delivery, and duration of hospitalization, were collected. We assessed their urinary symptoms, prolapse degree, and sexual symptoms using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and Pelvic Floor Disability Index (PFDI-20) questionnaires before surgical interventions. Patients were divided into two groups undergoing high uterosacral and sacrospinous ligament suspension. They were followed up 6 and 12 months after surgeries.

Results

Patients treated with sacrospinous ligament suspension had higher frequencies of surgical complications (P = 0.039), and the most common complication was low back pain (15.6%). The uterine prolapse andC point degree improved significantly in all cases after 6 and 12 months (P < 0.001). The Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantifications System (POP-Q) scores improved significantly in both groups 6 and 12 months after surgery (P < 0.001), and patients who underwent sacrospinous ligament suspension had significantly lower pain intensity compared to the other group (P = 0.003). FSFI scores improved significantly in patients treated in both groups (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Both high uterosacral and sacrospinous ligament suspension techniques significantly improved pain, uterine prolapse, and C point degree.

A systematic review of the surgical management of apical pelvic organ prolapse

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS

This systematic review (PROSPERO:CRD42022275789) is aimed at comparing qualitatively the success, recurrence, and complication rates of sacrocolpopexy with concomitant hysterectomy, hysteropexy, sacrospinous fixation (SSF) with and without vaginal hysterectomy (VH) and uterosacral fixation (USF) with and without VH.

METHODS

A systematic search was performed using Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases for studies published from 2011, on women with apical pelvic organ prolapse requiring surgical interventions. Risk of bias was assessed via the National Institutes of Health study quality assessment tool. The primary outcomes are the success and recurrence rate of each technique, for ≥12 months' follow-up. Findings were summarised qualitatively.

RESULTS

A total of 21 studies were included. Overall significant findings for a high success and low recurrence rate are summarised as: minimally invasive sacrocolpopexy (MISC) is superior to abdominal sacrocolpopexy (ASC); sacrospinous hysteropexy (SSHP) is superior to USF + VH, which is superior to uterosacral hysteropexy and mesh hysteropexy (MHP). Significant findings related to complications include: MISC recorded a lower overall complication rate than ASC except in mesh exposure; USF + VH tends to perform better than SSHP and SSF, with SSHP performing better than MHP in faecal incontinence and overactive bladder rates.

CONCLUSION

There is no evidence to conclude that hysterectomy is superior to uterine-sparing approaches. MISC should be considered over ASC given similar efficacy and reduced complications. Superiority of MHP is unproven against native tissue hysteropexy. Further studies under standardised settings are required for direct comparisons between the surgical management methods.

A preliminary clinical report of transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic Sacrospinous Ligament Fixation in the treatment of moderate and severe pelvic organ prolapse

Objective

To study the efficacy and safety of transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic Sacrospinous Ligament Fixation in the treatment of moderate and severe pelvic organ prolapse.

Design

Patients were selected into this study on a voluntary basis to evaluate the short-term efficacy of this surgery by comparing the OP-Q scores before the operation, three months after the operation, and six months after the operation.

Setting and Patients

Evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety by a retrospective analysis of the clinical data of the 18 patients with POP-Q grade III–IV pelvic organ prolapse treated by the Department of Gynecology of Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Changzhou No.2 People's Hospital from April 2020 to November 2020, and their post-operation follow-ups.

Interventions

Patients with postoperative follow-ups found no obvious relapse without intervention measures.

Measurements and Main Results

The transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic Sacrospinous Ligament Fixation was performed successfully, and the anterior and posterior walls of vagina and/or trans-vaginal hysterectomy were repaired as appropriate. Except the total vaginal length (TVL), the P values of numerical analysis for all points before, three months after, and six months after the operation were all <0.05, being statistically significant.

Conclusion

This method is effective in the treatment of moderate and severe pelvic organ prolapse with few complications, but more cases and longer-term follow-up data are needed to determine the long-term effect of this procedure. For the selection of puncture sites, more anatomical data are needed to get more accurate result.