Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026
Removal of an Intravesical Gellhorn Pessary and Staged Repair of a Residual Large Vesico-Vaginal Fistula
Published on: April 14, 2026
Outcomes of vaginal reconstructive surgery with and without graft material
Babak Vakili1, Trang Huynh, Holly Loesch
1Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cooper University Hospital, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey--Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine, Camden, NJ, USA.
Objective:
This study was undertaken to evaluate the outcomes of vaginal surgery for pelvic organ prolapse, comparing cases implementing graft augmentation to those without graft augmentation.
Study Design:
This was a retrospective cohort study of 312 patients who underwent vaginal surgery for prolapse from February 1998 to January 2004.
Results:
Of the 312 patients, 98 (31.4%) had graft augmentation. The median follow-up was 9 months (3-67 months). Graft use was not associated with reduction in recurrent prolapse, recurrent stage 3 prolapse, recurrent incontinence, or additional surgery for prolapse. After controlling for confounders, there was still no difference in surgical outcomes. Complications such as vaginal/graft infection (18.4% vs 4.7%; P < .001) and granulation tissue (38.8% vs 17.3%; P < .001) were more common after cases in which graft was used.
Conclusion:
In the early postoperative period, there was no benefit in using graft for prolapse repair. Graft use leads to a higher rate of postoperative complications.
