Introduction and hypothesis: The optimal duration of urethral catheterization during and after pelvic reconstructive surgery is not established. This study investigated the optimal duration of urinary catheterization in patients undergoing anterior vaginal repair with or without other vaginal surgeries.
Methods: A total of 90 patients were included from April 2007 to March 2008. They were randomly divided into 2, 3, and 4 days urinary catheterization groups based on the color of the questionnaire papers they blindly chose. After catheter removal, the amount of post-void residual urine was used to measure the efficacy of bladder emptying. Differences between groups were determined using Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, or Kruskal-Wallis test, as appropriate.
Results: No significant differences were found in the amount of post-void residual urine between the three catheterization groups.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the duration of urethral catheterization after anterior colporrhaphy need not exceed 2 days.