Evaluation of the effect of a new method on the pelvic organ prolapse symptoms

Management of female pelvic organ prolapse-Summary of the 2021 HAS guidelines

When a patient presents with symptoms suggestive of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), clinical evaluation should include an assessment of symptoms, their impact on daily life and rule out other pelvic pathologies. The prolapse should be described compartment by compartment, indicating the extent of the externalization for each. The diagnosis of POP is clinical. Additional exams may be requested to explore the symptoms associated or not explained by the observed prolapse. Pelvic floor muscle training and pessaries are non-surgical conservative treatment options recommended as first-line therapy for pelvic organ prolapse. They can be offered in combination and be associated with the management of modifiable risk factors for prolapse. If the conservative therapeutic options do not meet the patient's expectations, surgery should be proposed if the symptoms are disabling, related to pelvic organ prolapse, detected on clinical examination and significant (stage 2 or more of the POP-Q classification). Surgical routes for POP repair can be abdominal with mesh placement, or vaginal with autologous tissue. Laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy is recommended for cases of apical and anterior prolapse. Autologous vaginal surgery (including colpocleisis) is a recommended option for elderly and fragile patients. For cases of isolated rectocele, the posterior vaginal route with autologous tissue should be preferentially performed over the transanal route. The decision to place a mesh must be made in consultation with a multidisciplinary team. After the surgery, the patient should be reassessed by the surgeon, even in the absence of symptoms or complications, and in the long term by a primary care or specialist doctor.

Are hypopressive and other exercise programs effective for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse?

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS

Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) is effective for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), but other exercise programs have also been promoted and used. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effect of hypopressive and other exercise programs besides PFMT for POP.

METHODS

A literature search was conducted on Ovid Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane, PEDro, and Scopus databases from January 1996 to 30 December 2021. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. The keywords were combinations of "pelvic organ prolapse" or "urogenital prolapse," and "exercise therapy," "hypopressive exercise," "Kegel," "pelvic floor muscle training," "pelvic floor muscle exercises," "Pilates," "treatment," "yoga," "Tai Chi." Methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro rating scale (0-10).

RESULTS

Seven RCTs containing hypopressive exercise, yoga or breathing and hip muscle exercises in an inverted position were retrieved and analyzed. PEDro score ranged from 4 to 7. There was no additional effect of adding hypopressive exercise to PFMT, and PFMT was more effective than hypopressive exercise alone. The studies that included the term "yoga" included regular PFMT and thus can be classified as PFMT. Hip exercises in an inverted position added to PFMT vs PFMT alone showed better improvement in some secondary outcomes but not in the primary outcome, POP stage.

CONCLUSIONS

There are few RCTs assessing the effects of other exercise programs besides PFMT in the treatment of POP. To date, there is no evidence that other exercise programs are more effective than PFMT for POP.

[Impact of the aged-related changes of sagittal spinal curvature on pelvic organ prolapse. A systematic review of the literature]

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this review was to specify the potential association between age-related changes in sagittal spinal curvature and risk of pelvic organ prolapse in women.

METHODS

A systematic review based on the PRISMA statement was performed. Keywords were chosen according to the eligibility criteria in line with the PICO model. For inclusion, studies had to be based on observational cohorts, case controls and cross sectional studies. The quality of the articles was assessed using the STROBE scale.

RESULTS

Five papers from 1996 to 2021 were included in the present review with conflicting results. Four studies reported a positive association between anatomical pelvic organ prolapse at clinical examination, a loss of lumbar lordosis and an increase in thoracic kyphosis. The remaining study, using a questionnaire-based assessment of symptoms, found no association between prolapse-related symptoms and age-related changes in sagittal spinal curvatures.

CONCLUSION

Based on the available evidence, this systematic review suggested a very moderate evidence of association between the development of anatomical pelvic organ prolapse and age-related changes in sagittal spinal curvature in women. This review remains very limited by the small number and the heterogeneity of the studies included. Further studies in the lifetime continunm, with high quality methodology are needed to better understand the physiopathology of pelvic organ prolapse.

Completeness of exercise reporting among randomized controlled trials on pelvic floor muscle training for women with pelvic organ prolapse: A systematic review

AIMS

This systematic review aimed to assess the completeness of exercise reporting in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) for women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP).

METHODS

MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, CINHAL, Embase, SCOPUS, and PEDro databases were searched up to October 2020. Full-text RCTs comparing PFMT to any type of intervention among women with any type and stage of POP were eligible for inclusion. Completeness of intervention was evaluated with t20he template for intervention description and replication (TIDieR) and the consensus on exercise reporting template (CERT). Inter-rater agreement for each item of the tools was calculated.

RESULTS

Twenty-six RCTs were included. None of the studies completely reported all intervention descriptors. On average 57.1% (6.8 ± 2.4; out of 12) of the overall TIDieR items and 35.3% (6.7 ± 2.9; out of 19) of the CERT were well described. In particular, 7 and 5 items were completely reported more than 50% of the time for the TIDieR and CERT, respectively. Frequent shortcomings were the undetailed reporting of information regarding tailoring and modifications of exercises and their adherence. Detailed descriptions of exercise repetitions to enable replication were missing in 53.8%. According to the CERT, only 11.5% of the RCTs sufficiently described the main providers' characteristics.

CONCLUSION

The completeness of PFMT reporting for women with POP is still below desirable standards and it is insufficient to ensure transferability into practice. The present results may add relevant knowledge and contribute to improving adequate reporting of exercise.