Modern indications of synthetic mesh in surgical treatment of pelvic organ prolapse

M.O. Poenaru, I.E. Sterie, F. Braicu, A.D. Stănescu, L. Pleş

Rezumat: Background. The treatment of genital prolapse is exclusively surgical, usually approached from the perineal area. If surgery is not recommended, the solution can be conservative palliative. Method. This paper is based on scholarly medical articles and the expertise of Bucur Clinic of Obsetrics and Gynecology, between January 2010 and December 2016, in relation with modern surgical treatments of genital prolapse, using synthetic mesh. Results. Between January 2010 and December 2017, at the Bucur Clinic of Obstetrics and Ginecology, there were 320 patients surgically treated for urogenital affections. There were registered 53 cases of first- and second-degree genital prolaps, and 65 cases of third-degree genital prolaps. A number of 98 patients presented cystorectocele, of which 82 associated with stress urinary incontinence and only 40 with uterine prolaps. There were made 67 direct cystopexies with polypropylene allograft by the transobturator midurethral slings procedure (TOT). Also, the Kelly technique was systematically applied for the surgical management of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The isolated SUI cases have been treated by the aplications of a suburethral sling, again using the TOT technique(61). The surgical treatment for posterior vaginal wall defect usually consisted in posterior colporrhaphy with perineorrhaphy(73). In cases associated with important uterine descensus, the standard technique consisted in hysterosacropexy with or without reinforcement of the rectovaginal fascia with synthetic mesh (3/14). A total of 7 colpocleisis have been recorded exclusively in elderly patients with associated biological conditions, for which extensive surgery was not recommended. Discussion. Petros and Ulmstem’s integral theory, which was developed in the ’90s, states that pelvic-genital static disorders and those of urinary incontinence come from the alteration of fascial and ligamentary structures that are part of the pelvian diaphragm. This theory led to the development of vaginal and endoscopic surgical tehniques using syntetic allograft. After a period of prolonged use because of its superior efficiency on a long term, the indications of synthetic allografts have been reduced and they are reserved now for patients with large defects of pelvine statics, for recurrent cases or for women in perimenopause. An important criterion in the surgical choise is the conservation of sexual function. Conclusions. It is recommended to use the surgical correction of prolapse using synthetic mesh only in case of failure of a first surgery, or if there are known risk factors for the recurrence of prolapse.
Cuvinte cheie: pelvic static disorder, types of mesh, risks of synthetic mesh.