Anterior Bilateral Sacrospinous Fixation With Transvaginal Mesh: Is Hysterectomy a Risk Factor for Complications?

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of hysterectomy on the risk of complications from transvaginal pelvic organ prolapse surgery with mesh.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study between October 2010 and December 2017. Transvaginal mesh surgery was performed in patients with symptomatic anterior and/or apical prolapse (Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification ≥ stage 2). The primary outcome was rate of severe surgical complications based on the Clavien-Dindo classification (defined as grade ≥3), and the secondary outcome was the anatomical success at the last postoperative follow-up visit.

Results: Three hundred and ninety-six patients were included, 289 of these patients underwent anterior sacrospinous fixation with uterine preservation, 50 had a previous hysterectomy and 57 underwent a concomitant hysterectomy. The median follow-up was 12 months (interquartile range, 7 months). The rate of severe complications was 2.1%, 6.0%, and 5.3% in the uterine preservation group, previous hysterectomy group, and concomitant hysterectomy group, respectively (P = 0.2). The operative time was significantly higher in the concomitant hysterectomy group, and the mesh exposure rate was significantly higher in the previous hysterectomy group. The overall recurrence rate was 7.6%, with no differences between the study groups.

Conclusions: Concomitant and previous hysterectomy did not appear to increase the severe complication rate or anatomical failure after transvaginal mesh surgery. However, a history of hysterectomy appears to be a risk factor for vaginal mesh exposure. This must be considered in the choice between prosthetic and autologous management options for the treatment of posthysterectomy vault prolapse.