Fertility before and after surgery for deep infiltrating endometriosis with and without bowel involvement: a literature review

AIM

Endometriosis affects from 10% to 15% of women of childbearing age and 20% of these women have deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE). The goal of this review was to assess the impact of various locations of DIE on spontaneous fertility and the benefit of surgery and Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR) (in vitro fertilization and intrauterine insemination) on fertility outcomes.

METHODS

MEDLINE search for articles on fertility in women with DIE published between 1990 and April 2013 using the following terms: "deep infiltrative endometriosis", "colorectal", "bowel", "rectovaginal", "uterosacral", "vaginal", "bladder" and "fertility" or "infertility". Twenty-nine articles reporting fertility outcomes in 2730 women with DIE were analysed.

RESULTS

Among the women with DIE and no bowel involvement (N.=1295), no preoperative data on spontaneous pregnancy rate (PR) were available. The postoperative spontaneous PR rate in these women was 50.5% (95% Confidence Interval [CI] =46.8-54.1) and overall PR (spontaneous pregnancies and after MAR) was 68.3% (95% CI=64.9-71.7). No evaluation of fertility outcome according to locations of DIE was feasible. For women with DIE with bowel involvement without surgical management (N.=115), PR after MAR was 29%; 95% CI=20.7-37.4). For those with bowel involvement who were surgically managed (N.=1320), postoperative spontaneous PR was 28.6% (95% CI=25-32.3) and overall postoperative PR was 46.9% (95% CI=42.9-50.9).

CONCLUSION

For women with DIE without bowel involvement, surgery alone offers a high spontaneous PR. For those with bowel involvement, the low spontaneous and relatively high overall PR suggests the potential benefit of combining surgery and MAR.

[Role of GnRH agonists in preserving female fertility]

The impact of cancer treatment on ovarian function and fertility has been known since the 70s. Preservation of fertility is now an important focus of care for patients of reproductive age with cancer. The beneficial role of GnRH agonists in fertility preservation is controversial since the early 2000s. Recent randomized studies come to overturn this role. The POEMS multicenter randomized trial with long-term follow-up is ongoing and will provide results that could help clarify the current uncertain indication of these compounds in this context.

Incidence of pre- and postoperative urinary dysfunction associated with deep infiltrating endometriosis: relevance of urodynamic tests and therapeutic implications

Although many series have been published on the management of digestive or urinary deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE), few data exist on pre- and postoperative urinary dysfunction (UD) and urodynamic tests. Hence, the objective of this review was to evaluate the pre- and postoperative incidence of UD and the contribution of urodynamic tests as well as their therapeutic implications. Studies published between January 1995 and April 2012, available in the databases Medline, Embase or the Cochrane Library and responding to a key word algorithm were selected. Studies were classified according to their level of evidence in the Canadian Task Force classification. Sixty-three studies were included in this review. The incidence of preoperative UD is unknown in patients with DIE without colorectal involvement but ranges from 2% to 48% in patients with colorectal endometriosis. About half of all the patients had abnormal urodynamic test results. DIE surgery is associated with a risk of urinary dysfunction mainly corresponding to de novo voiding dysfunction in 1.4% to 29.2% of cases with a mean value of 4.8%. The rate of persistent voiding dysfunction ranges from 0 to 14.7% with a mean value of 4.6%. Risk factors of postoperative UD are the need for partial colpectomy, parametrectomy and patients requiring colo-anal anastomosis. For patients with urinary tract endometriosis, the incidence of preoperative UD is comprised between 24.4% and 79.2% with a rate of postoperative voiding dysfunction ranging from 0% to 16.9% with a mean value of 11.1%. Prevention of postoperative UD is based on nerve-sparing surgery. Treatment of voiding dysfunction requires self-catheterization. There is a lack of data on medical treatment and surgical techniques to manage postoperative UD. More effort needs to be made to detect preoperative UD associated with DIE. Preoperative evaluation by urodynamic tests and possibly electrophysiology could be of interest especially in patients with risk factors. The current review underlines the difficulties of establishing clear recommendations due to heterogeneity of the studies and the absence of a consensual definition of UD.

Genital prolapse repair with Avaulta Plus mesh: functional results and quality of life

PURPOSE

Evaluate anatomic and functional outcomes of genital prolapse repair by vaginal route using a mixed polypropylene and porcine skin mesh.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Prospective pilot study from January 2009 to January 2011 in the gynecologic department of a tertiary university hospital. Twenty patients with stage II-III genital prolapse underwent anterior wall prolapse repair with anterior Avaulta Plus mesh. Functional results were evaluated using the pelvic floor distress inventory-short form (PFDI-20), the pelvic floor impact questionnaire-7 (PFIQ-7) and the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual questionnaires (PISQ-12).

RESULTS

No per-operative complications occurred. One postoperative hematoma (5%) occurred requiring a second surgery. At a mean follow-up of 19.7 months, three patients had vaginal mesh exposure (15%) requiring a second surgery for two of them. Of the 20 women, 17 (85%) had optimal anatomic results and three (15%) had residual genital prolapse (Ba=-2 in two cases and Bp = -2 in the one). No recurrence was observed during the study period. A significant improvement in the PFDI-20 (P<0.001) and PFIQ-7 scores (P<0.001) was observed but no improvement in the PISQ-12 score.

CONCLUSION

In this series, we reported that genital prolapse repair using Avaulta Plus mesh resulted in a high success rate and improved quality of life but with an important prevalence of vaginal mesh exposure.

[Ovarian stimulation monitoring: past, present and perspectives]

Since the inception of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), knowing the moment of ovulation has always been a priority. Initially, the monitoring was accomplished by observing the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge just before ovulation. Currently, in all ART facilities, the monitoring of all stimulated ovulatory cycles is done by using the conventional two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound to measure follicle diameter and by drawing blood tests that measure estradiol, progesterone, and luteinizing hormone levels. These exams allow determination of the numbers and quality of growing ovarian follicles and evaluation of follicle maturity before choosing the appropriate time for ovulation triggering. The monitoring of ovulatory cycles has now become enhanced with the arrival of new software called SonoAVC. This software allows the utilization of 3D blocks to immediately calculate the total number and volume of the follicles inside the ovary. This automatic approach is faster, precise, and more efficient. It also has better reproducibility than the classical 2D diameters. Furthermore, certain ART professionals envision that by using the SonoVac technology, patients will no longer need to be monitored with regular ultrasounds and with systematic hormonal testing.