Study objective: To assess the results of laparovaginal repair of anterior vaginal prolapse in terms of perioperative morbidity and repair durability.
Design: Longitudinal study of a consecutive series of women assessed with the pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POPQ) system before and after laparoscopic paravaginal repair of anterior vaginal prolapse (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).
Setting: University hospital in South Australia.
Patients: Two hundred twelve women undergoing laparoscopic paravaginal repair for anterior compartment prolapse, with average follow-up of 14.2 months and 10 (4.7%) lost to follow-up.
Interventions: All women underwent bilateral laparoscopic paravaginal repair that was combined with uterosacral hysteropexy or colpopexy in women with concomitant level I defects (n = 42) and supralevator repair in those with posterior fascia defects (n = 47). Recurrences were treated with graft-reinforced anterior colporrhaphy (n = 18).
Measurements and main results: Nine women (4.2%) had major complications, and there were 61 minor complications. The POPQ assessment on follow-up (mean 14.2 months) gave a prolapse cure of the laparoscopic repair of 76% (95% CI 70.7%-82.1%). Eighteen of 23 women with a residual central defect subsequently had a graft-reinforced anterior colporrhaphy, after a mean interval of 14 months, which increased the cure rate to 84% (95% CI 79.6%-89.3%).
Conclusion: Laparoscopic paravaginal repair followed by graft-reinforced anterior colporrhaphy for central defects, when necessary, is associated with a low morbidity rate and achieves an anatomic cure rate greater than 80%.