Safety and short term outcomes of a new truly minimallyinvasive mesh-less and dissection-less anchoring system for pelvic organ prolapse apical repair

Enabling Technologies for Gynecologic Vaginal Surgery: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

To systematically review the literature to evaluate clinical and surgical outcomes for technologies that facilitate vaginal surgical procedures.

DATA SOURCES

We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and ClinicalTrials.gov from January 1990 to May 2022.

METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION

Comparative and single-arm studies with data on contemporary tools or technologies facilitating intraoperative performance of vaginal gynecologic surgical procedures for benign indications were included. Citations were independently double screened, and eligible full-text articles were extracted by two reviewers. Data collected included study characteristics, technology, patient demographics, and intraoperative and postoperative outcomes. Risk of bias for comparative studies was assessed using established methods, and restricted maximum likelihood model meta-analyses were conducted as indicated.

TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS

The search yielded 8,658 abstracts, with 116 eligible studies that evaluated pedicle sealing devices (n=32), nonrobotic and robotic vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (n=64), suture capture devices (n=17), loop ligatures (n=2), and table-mounted telescopic cameras (n=1). Based on 19 comparative studies, pedicle sealing devices lowered vaginal hysterectomy operative time by 15.9 minutes (95% CI, -23.3 to -85), blood loss by 36.9 mL (95% CI, -56.9 to -17.0), hospital stay by 0.2 days (95% CI, -0.4 to -0.1), and visual analog scale pain scores by 1.4 points on a subjective 10-point scale (95% CI, -1.7 to -1.1). Three nonrandomized comparative studies and 53 single-arm studies supported the feasibility of nonrobotic vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery for hysterectomy, adnexal surgery, pelvic reconstruction, and myomectomy. Data were limited for robotic vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery, suture capture devices, loop ligatures, and table-mounted cameras due to few studies or study heterogeneity.

CONCLUSION

Pedicle sealing devices lower operative time and blood loss for vaginal hysterectomy, with modest reductions in hospital stay and pain scores. Although other technologies identified in the literature may have potential to facilitate vaginal surgical procedures and improve outcomes, additional comparative effectiveness research is needed.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO, CRD42022327490.

The EnPlace® sacrospinous ligament fixation-A novel minimally invasive transvaginal procedure for apical pelvic organ prolapse repair: Safety and short-term outcome results

OBJECTIVE

The EnPlace® device is a novel minimally invasive tool allowing transvaginal sacrospinous ligament (SSL) fixation of apical pelvic organ prolapse (POP). The study aimed to investigate the safety and short-term efficacy of the EnPlace® SSL fixation for significant apical POP repair.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study of 123 consecutive patients (mean age 64.4 ± 11.1 years) with stage III or IV apical POP who underwent SSL fixation by the EnPlace® device. Safety and 6-month outcome results were analyzed and compared between 91 (74%) patients with uterine prolapse versus 32 (26%) patients with vaginal vault prolapse.

RESULTS

There were no intraoperative or early postoperative complications. The mean (± standard deviation) duration of surgery was 30 ± 6.9 min and mean blood loss was 30.5 ± 18.5 mL. The average position of point C by POP-Quantification measurements before surgery and at 6 months postoperatively was 4.5 ± 2.8 cm and -3.1 ± 3.3 cm, respectively. Of 91 patients with preoperative uterine prolapse, eight (8.8%) patients developed a recurrent uterine prolapse within 6 months postoperatively. Of 32 patients with preoperative vault prolapse, two patients (6.3%) had recurrent vault prolapse.

CONCLUSION

Short-term outcome results of EnPlace® SSL fixation suggest that it is a safe and effective minimally invasive transvaginal procedure for significant apical POP repair.

Minimally invasive meshless and minimal dissection ligament fixation system for apical organ prolapse procedures: A 4-year prospective follow up study

OBJECTIVE

EnPlace™ (formerly named NeuGuide™) is a minimally invasive meshless anchoring system for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) repair designed to provide centro-apical pelvic floor support. We present a 4-year prospective follow up evaluation of this repair system.

METHODS

This was a single-center longitudinal prospective study of women with advanced POP who underwent pelvic floor apical repair using EnPlace™ with at least 4 years of follow-up. The primary outcome was surgical success defined as anatomical success, no symptoms of vaginal bulging and no need for re-treatment. A standardized validated questionnaire to assess symptom burden was used.

RESULTS

Fifteen women were enrolled in the study. Two patients were lost to follow-up. The median follow-up was 51 months (range 42-57) with a surgical success rate of 92.3%. One patient (7.7%) reported symptoms of vaginal vault prolapse and underwent a repeated prolapse surgery. Using the UDI-6 questionnaire, an improvement in all domains was seen.

CONCLUSION

The 4-year prospective follow up suggests that apical repair using the EnPlace™ device may be considered safe and effective for sacrospinous ligament fixation with a sustainable long-term success. This procedure is a minimally invasive meshless addition to pelvic surgeon's armamentarium.