The genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) is a relatively new term for the condition previously known as vulvovaginal atrophy, atrophic vaginitis, or urogenital atrophy. The term was ...first introduced in 2014. GSM is a chronic, progressive, vulvovaginal, sexual, and lower urinary tract condition characterized by a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms. Most of these symptoms can be attributed to the lack of estrogen that characterizes menopause. Even though the condition mainly affects postmenopausal women, it is seen in many premenopausal women as well. The hypoestrogenic state results in hormonal and anatomical changes in the genitourinary tract, with vaginal dryness, dyspareunia, and reduced lubrication being the most prevalent and bothersome symptoms. These can have a great impact on the quality of life (QOL) of the affected women, especially those who are sexually active. The primary goal of the treatment of GSM is to achieve the relief of symptoms. First-line treatment consists of non-hormonal therapies such as lubricants and moisturizers, while hormonal therapy with local estrogen products is generally considered the "gold standard''. Newer therapeutic approaches with selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) or laser technologies can be employed as alternative options, but further research is required to investigate the viability and scope of their implementation in day-to-day clinical practice.
Highlights • The genitourinary syndrome of menopause involves clinical signs and symptoms in both the genitals and the lower urinary tract. • In our study, Vaginal Maturation Value and Vaginal Health ...Index Score showed signs of improvement after CO2 -laser therapy. • Indications of alleviation of symptoms in the genitals and lower urinary tract were noted. • CO2 -laser therapy might be beneficial for the female sexual function and quality of life.
A systematic review and meta-analysis was undertaken to assess the efficacy and safety of intravaginal energy-based therapies (laser and radiofrequency) on sexual health of cancer survivors (CS) ...(breast cancer (BCS) and/or gynecological cancer (GCS)). PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched until 21/02/2019. Quality of reporting, methodology, and body of evidence were assessed using STROBE, MINORS, and GRADE. Primary outcomes were dyspareunia, dryness, and sexual health (FSFI, FSDS-R). Secondary outcomes were burning, itching, dysuria, incontinence, Vaginal Health Index Score (VHIS), microbiome-cytokine evaluation, and adverse events. Main analyses, subgroup analyses, and sensitivity analyses were performed. Eight observational studies (
n
= 274) were eligible for inclusion. None of the studies evaluated radiofrequency. BCS and BCS-GCS were included in 87% and 13% of studies, respectively. All primary outcomes improved significantly with the exception of FSDS-R (dyspareunia (5 studies (
n
= 233), standardized mean difference (StdMD) (− 1.17), 95%CI − 1.59, − 0.75;
p
< 0.001;
I
2
= 55%), vaginal dryness (4 studies (
n
= 183), StdMD (− 1.98), 95%CI − 3.31, − 0.65;
p
= 0.003;
I
2
= 91%), FSFI (2 studies,
n
= 28, MD (12.79), 95%CI 7.69, 17.89;
p
< 0.001;
I
2
= 0%). Itching, dysuria, and VHIS increased significantly, while burning was not improved. Serious adverse events were not observed by any of the studies. Intravaginal laser therapies appear to have a positive effect on dyspareunia, vaginal dryness, and FSFI of CS. However, the quality of evidence is “very low,” with no data on intravaginal radiofrequency therapy. Further research with high-quality RCTs and long-term follow-up is needed to evaluate the value of energy-based devices as a therapeutic option for CS with sexual problems.
Introduction and hypothesis
Vaginal hysterectomy (VH) and pelvic floor repair (PFR) for the surgical management of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) are usually performed under regional anesthesia. The aim ...of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of performing VH and PFR under local anesthesia and to compare postoperative pain and patient recovery parameters with patients undergoing the same surgical procedure under regional anesthesia.
Methods
This was a single-center prospective cohort study of women with advanced POP. The standard care group consisted of 20 patients who underwent VH and PFR under a combined spinal-epidural (CSE) block, whereas the local anesthesia group consisted of 20 patients who underwent VH and PFR under local anesthesia and intravenous sedation. Primary outcomes included the intensity of postoperative pain and the percentage of patients with moderate/severe pain. Secondary outcomes included percentage of patients who used opioids, incidence of nausea/vomiting, level of sedation, and patient satisfaction rate.
Results
The median pain intensity at rest was significantly lower in the local anesthesia group at 2 h, 4 h, and 8 h postoperatively (median values: 0 vs 1.9, 0 vs 4.1, and 1 vs 2.7 respectively). The percentage of patients needing opioids was significantly lower for the local anesthesia group (35% vs 95%,
p
= 0.002). The proportion of patients presenting nausea and vomiting symptoms in the two groups was similar.
Conclusions
Local anesthesia for patients undergoing VH and PFR has been shown to be a viable alternative to regional anesthesia, offering reduced postoperative pain and less opioid use for the first 8 h.
Introduction and hypothesis
In this video we present the surgical management of a 58-year-old woman presenting with a large prolapsed myomatous uterus treated with vaginal hysterectomy (VH) and ...pelvic floor repair (PFR) (uterosacral ligament suspension and posterior colporraphy) under local anesthesia and conscious sedation.
Methods
The patient underwent VH and PFR by using an infiltration of a local anesthetic solution of lidocaine, ropivacaine and adrenaline in combination with intravenous (iv) conscious sedation. Debulking techniques, such as intramyometrial coring, uterine bisection, myomectomy and wedge resection, were used to facilitate VH. The final weight of the removed uterus was 870 g.
Results
This video demonstrates that performing a surgically challenging VH under local anesthesia is feasible.
Conclusions
Vaginal uterine morcellation can be performed to debulk the enlarged uterus so that hysterectomy can be accomplished under local anesthesia. The use of local anesthesia may safely be offered as an alternative to patients undergoing a complex vaginal hysterectomy and reconstructive surgery.
Aim of the video
In this video we present the surgical management of a 59-year-old woman with stress urinary incontinece (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) who had a history of rheumatoid ...arthritis and endometrial hyperplasia with atypia.
Methods
A concomitant laparoscopic hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy and a multi-compartment laparoscopic native tissue repair of the POP, combined with a Burch urethropexy, was performed to restore pelvic floor defects and treat the underlying endometrial pathology.
Conclusion
Total laparoscopic multi-compartment repair of POP and/or SUI using native tissue appears to be a viable alternative to both laparoscopic procedures using synthetic meshes and vaginal native tissue repairs. Although not a routine option for the majority of patients with POP and SUI, this procedure may be offered in selected cases, where native tissue repair of the pelvic floor is preferred.
Introduction and hypothesis
Surgical outcomes of elderly women who have been treated using midurethral slings could be influenced by confounding factors, such as age-related comorbidities. Aim of ...this study is to assess elderly patients (>75 years) who underwent a transobturator sling procedure with a follow-up of at least 13 years.
Methods
This is a prospective follow-up observational study including elderly women of current age ≥ 75 years old who underwent TVT-O placement at least 13 years prior to the study period. Main outcome measures were the objective and subjective cure rates at the follow-up visit. Secondary outcome measures included: patient-reported success rate, de novo urgency symptoms rate, evaluation of other subjective parameters related to the lower urinary tract function, and assessment of the health-related quality of life.
Results
Seventy-two out of 85 women (84.7%) meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were assessed at the follow-up visit. The mean follow-up period was 13.7 years (SD = 0.8). The overall objective and subjective cure rates were 80.5% (58 out of 72) and 84.7% (61 out of 72) respectively, whereas 9.7% of the patients (7 out of 72) reported being subjectively improved. The patient-reported success rate was 91.7% (66 out of 72). De novo urgency rate was 23.7% (9 out of 38), whereas 26.5% of the patients (9 out of 34) reported aggravation of preexisting urgency.
Conclusions
In women of advanced age, the TVT-O procedure is a highly effective and long-lasting treatment. The safety profile of the TVT-O was not influenced by geriatric conditions, whereas the long-term presence of a polypropylene sling did not appear to trigger the onset of medical disorders.
This retrospective case-control study aimed to compare 30 versus 40 W power of CO
2
laser for the therapy of genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM). Postmenopausal women with severe intensity of ...dyspareunia and dryness were eligible to be included in this study. Primary outcomes were dyspareunia and dryness. Secondary outcomes were itching/burning, dysuria, frequency and urgency, Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), vaginal maturation value (VMV), and Vaginal Health Index Score (VHIS). One laser therapy was applied every month for 3 months. Outcomes were evaluated at baseline and 1 month following the 3rd therapy. Fifty (25 per group) women were included in this study. In the 30-W group, mean improvement of dyspareunia, dryness, itching/burning, FSFI, VMV, and VHIS was 6.1 ± 1.7, 6.0 ± 1.9, 5.9 ± 2.0, 16.6 ± 6.7, 29.9 ± 13.0, and 11.0 ± 2.9, respectively (within group comparisons all
p
< 0.001). In the 40-W group, mean improvement of dyspareunia, dryness, itching/burning, FSFI, VMV, and VHIS was 6.1 ± 1.7, 6.5 ± 2.0, 5.2 ± 2.5, 14.8 ± 7.1, 25.0 ± 13.4, and 10.5 ± 4.1, respectively (within-group comparisons, all
p
≤ 0.001). Comparison between 30 and 40 W revealed that mean improvement or presence of all GSM symptoms and clinical signs was not statistically significant different. CO
2
laser therapy may improve GSM symptoms and clinical signs. This improvement did not seem to associate to power of 30 or 40 W.
Radical excision of a complicated transobturator tape Grigoriadis, Themos; Zacharakis, Dimitrios; Kontogeorgakos, Vasileios ...
International Urogynecology Journal,
04/2020, Letnik:
31, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Aim of the video
In this video, we present the case of a late-detected sinus formation 4 years after a TOT placement.
Method
A combined surgical approach (transvaginal and transcutaneous routes) ...performed by a urogynecologist and an orthopaedic surgeon was chosen to carry out a radical en bloc excision of the sinus tract with the right half of the tape. This combined approach has the advantage of completely removing the biofilm adhered to the surface of the tape and the surrounding tissues, thus making antibiotic therapy more effective.
Conclusion
Surgical removal of these microbial commmunities is very important for the resolution of device-related infections. Severe infectious complications of transobturator slings should be managed by a tertiary multidisciplinary team to optimize patient care.