Incidence and characteristics of de novo stress urinary incontinence after pelvic organ prolapse vaginal repair

BACKGROUND Some patients who undergo pelvic floor reconstruction for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) may experience a de novo stress urinary incontinence (SUI) postoperatively. We aimed to investigate the incidence and characteristics of de novo SUI in patients who underwent pelvic floor reconstruction at the national referral hospital in Indonesia. METHODS This cross-sectional study evaluated 108 patients who underwent pelvic floor reconstruction due to POP between January 2016 and December 2017. Per the inclusion criteria, 75 women were enrolled using a consecutive sampling. The incidence of de novo SUI was determined 6–12 months postoperatively using the Indonesian version of the questionnaire for urinary incontinence diagnosis and objectively using the cough stress test during gynecologic examination after a negative preoperative prolapse reduction stress test. RESULTS The average age, parity, body mass index, and years since menopause onset were 56.17 (4.67) years, 3.17 (1.07), 28.58 (5.18) kg/m2, and 12.8 (7.0) years, respectively. De novo SUI was seen in 8.0% (6 of 75) patients at 6–7 months postoperatively, with 3 (50.0%) had severe POP and 3 (50.0%) had a mild POP. Most of these patients (4 of 6, 66.7%) had undergone procedures other than colpocleisis for POP reconstruction. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of de novo SUI after gynecologic surgery for POP at a national referral hospital in Indonesia is 8%. Most patients were aged <60 years, had a parity of <4, were nonobese, were menopausal, and had diabetes.

Inverse correlation between urethral length and continence before and after native tissue pelvic floor reconstruction

Urethral length was evaluated retrospectively in patients with prolapse undergoing anterior native-tissue repair. Effects of age, prolapse stage, defect pattern, urodynamic and clinical stress test findings, and tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) surgery indication were analyzed using Mann–Whitney and Wilcoxon tests and linear and logistic regression. Of 394 patients, 61% had stage II/III and 39% had stage IV prolapse; 90% of defects were central (10% were lateral). Median pre- and postoperative urethral lengths were 14 and 22 mm (p < 0.01). Preoperative urethral length was greater with lateral defects [p < 0.01, B 6.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.67–8.08] and increased stress incontinence risk (p < 0.01, odds ratio 1.07, 95% CI 1.03–1.12). Postoperative urethral length depended on prolapse stage (p < 0.01, B 1.61, 95% CI 0.85–2.38) and defect type (p = 0.02, B – 1.42, 95% CI – 2.65 to – 0.2). Postoperatively, TVT surgery was indicated in 5.1% of patients (median 9 months), who had longer urethras than those without this indication (p = 0.043). Native-tissue prolapse repair including Kelly plication increased urethral length, reflecting re-urethralization, particularly with central defects. The functional impact of urethral length in the context of connective tissue aging should be examined further.

Transient ureteric obstruction following pelvic floor reconstruction

We describe the first reported case of transient distal ureteric obstruction attributed to post-surgical oedema in a patient with a solitary kidney. This occurred following combined pelvic floor repair and sacrospinous fixation for recurrent pelvic organ prolapse and manifested clinically as anuria, radiological hydroureter and acute kidney injury in the postoperative period. The transient nature of this obstruction, which was managed by a temporary percutaneous nephrostomy, indicates that it was caused by ureteric compression secondary to soft tissue oedema following surgery. We highlight the importance of this potential complication in females with a history of nephrectomy, unilateral renal tract anomalies or severely diminished renal reserve.

The Burden of Reoperations and Timeline of Problems in 1,530 Cases of Mesh-Related Complications

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Mesh-related complications resulting from pelvic organ prolapse (POP) reconstruction operations may be a devastating experience leading to multiple and complex interventions. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> The aim of the study was to describe the experience and time frame of management of mesh-related complications in women treated for POP or stress urinary incontinence in a tertiary center. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> 1,530 cases of mesh-related complications were accessed regarding their clinical presentation, number of surgeries, and timeline of surgical treatments to treat multiple clinical complaints until the ultimate operation where all the meshes were removed in a single tertiary center. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The studied population revealed to be a highly referred one with only 10.2% of the cases implanted at our center. Clinical presentation varied widely with 48.7% referring pain as the chief complaint, while 31.3% complained of voiding dysfunctions, 2.5% reported genital prolapses, 2.2% complained of vaginal problems, and 1.2% noted intestinal problems as the main clinical complaint. Only 4.8% of the cases presented mesh erosion at examination; 57.8% of the cases required more than 1 operation to address the mesh-related problems. Sixty-eight cases had more than 10 operations up to complete removal. Three clusters of patients could be identified: (i)–those from whom the mesh was promptly removed after clinical problems emerged, (ii) those with slowly evolving problems, and (iii) those with escalating problems despite treatment attempts. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Mesh-related complications after pelvic floor reconstruction are an evolving disease with diverse clinical presentation. The identified time-related problems and the multiple failed attempts to treat their complications warrant attention with continuous monitoring of these patients and aggressive removal of the mesh if the clinical complaint cannot be swiftly managed.