What's new in prolapse surgery?

There are very many types of operation for the correction of symptomatic pelvic floor relaxation, and the pelvic surgeon is faced with a difficult task when selecting the most appropriate procedure(s) for an individual patient. Currently, the lifetime risk of undergoing prolapse or continence surgery in France is one in 11; up to 30% of patients will require repeat prolapse surgery, and 10% will require repeat continence surgery. Reconstructive pelvic surgery for the treatment of vaginal prolapse continues to evolve as surgeons continue their quest for a definitive surgical cure. This review looks at the etiology, presentation and current surgical management of genital prolapse in females.

There are three primary routes of access in reconstructive pelvic surgery (abdominal, vaginal and laparoscopic) for the repair of anterior, superior and posterior defects; the choice often depends on the surgeon's experience. Of the abdominal repairs, abdominal sacrocolpopexy with mesh remains the 'gold standard'; the retropubic paravaginal repair and laparoscopic techniques have not gained widespread acceptance. The laparoscopic approach appears to be the least utilized, because of the great degree of technical difficulty associated with laparoscopic suturing. Of the vaginal restorative procedures, uterosacral ligament vault suspension and iliococcygeous and sacrospinous fixation have their proponents. However, there is increasing interest in the use of biological prostheses (allografts/xenografts) and synthetic absorbable meshes.

Randomized controlled trials are required to evaluate the role of surgical procedures in reconstructive surgery, to determine which type of prosthesis is most suitable.