Comparison of fertility outcomes after laparoscopic myomectomy for barbed versus nonbarbed sutures

Abstract

Objective: To assess the impact on women's reproductive outcomes of barbed sutures to repair uterine breaches during laparoscopic myomectomy compared with traditional smooth sutures.

Design: Retrospective, monocentric cohort study, with information on subsequent pregnancies prospectively acquired for some women.

Setting: Tertiary-level academic referral center.

Patient(s): Women older than 18 years who had undergone a laparoscopic myomectomy and had sought pregnancy afterward, divided into two groups based on type of suture used to repair the uterine wall: group A (nonbarbed) and group B (barbed).

Intervention(s): Laparoscopic removal of FIGO types 3, 4, 5, and 6 uterine leiomyomas by use of either only barbed sutures or only traditional smooth sutures to reconstruct the uterine defect.

Main outcome measure(s): Pregnancy achievement rates, delivery modes, main pregnancy complications, perioperative complications for both kinds of suture, and the trend of the use of barbed sutures over time at our center.

Result(s): Of 164 patients included, 83 were in group A and 81 in group B. Ninety-one patients (55.5%) experienced at least one postoperative pregnancy, with no differences between the groups (group A 60.5%; group B 50.6%). Of the 103 recorded postoperative pregnancies, 70 (68%) resulted in live births, 29 (28.1%) in first-trimester miscarriages, and 4 (3.9%) were ongoing.

Conclusion(s): Barbed sutures have a similar impact on reproductive outcomes as smooth conventional threads, both in terms of pregnancy and obstetric complication rates, after laparoscopic myomectomy.

Keywords: Barbed sutures; fertility; laparoscopic myomectomy; pregnancy; reproductive outcomes.