[Uterine preservation or not during prolapse surgery: Review of the literature]

Pregnancy outcomes after abdominal sacrocervicopexy

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS

Various methods are used in pelvic organ prolapse (POP) surgery. Organ-preserving methods are gaining importance and popularity. Although the success rates of abdominal sacrocervicopexy, which is one of these methods, are known, data on pregnancy outcomes are insufficient. The aim of this study was to investigate pregnancy outcomes after abdominal sacrocervicopexy.

METHODS

This study included 72 patients with a diagnosis of POP who underwent abdominal sacrocervicopexy with monofilament polypropylene mesh in Diyarbakir Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital between 2008 and 2016. Anterior and posterior colporrhaphy operations were performed. Postoperatively, these patients were followed up for a mean of 29.68 ± 6.55 (20-49) months. Pregnancy and recurrence outcomes of those who became pregnant were recorded and analyzed.

RESULTS

On average, pregnancies occurred 23.2 (18-30) months after the operation. During follow-up, eight patients became pregnant and gave birth without any issues or complications. One had a normal vaginal delivery, and seven gave birth by cesarean section. One of the pregnant women had a twin pregnancy. When 24 patients who underwent bilateral tubal ligation and postmenopausal (n = 2) were excluded, the pregnancy rate was found to be 17.3%. The weeks of the deliveries were 35 weeks (twin pregnancy), 38 weeks (n = 2), 39 weeks (n = 3), and 40 weeks (n = 1), for an average of 38.5 weeks.

CONCLUSIONS

Eight patients who had undergone abdominal sacrocervicopexy had healthy pregnancies and deliveries.

A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials Assessing Sexuality in Hysterectomized Patients

In hysterectomized patients, even though there is still controversy, evidence indicates that in the short term, the vaginal approach shows benefits over the laparoscopic approach, as it is less invasive, faster and less costly. However, the quality of sexual life has not been systematically reviewed in terms of the approach adopted. Through a systematic review, we analyzed (CRD42020158465 in PROSPERO) the impact of hysterectomy on sexual quality and whether there are differences according to the surgical procedure (abdominal or vaginal) for noncancer patients. MEDLINE (through PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov and Scopus were reviewed to find randomized clinical trials assessing sexuality in noncancer patients undergoing total hysterectomy, comparing vaginal and abdominal (laparoscopic and/or open) surgery. Three studies that assessed the issue under study were finally included. Two of these had a low risk of bias (Cochrane risk of bias tool); one was unclear. There was significant variability in how sexuality was measured, with no differences between the two approaches considered in the review. In conclusion, no evidence was found to support one procedure (abdominal or vaginal) over another for non-oncological hysterectomized patients regarding benefits in terms of sexuality.