Bowel dysfunction following nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer: a prospective study

To objectively assess anorectal dysfunction following nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy in stage I-II cervical carcinoma patients.

Between 2008 and 2012, 21 patients with primary cervical cancer stage FIGO I-II were enrolled in this prospective study. All women underwent nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy. Anorectal manometry was performed preoperatively and 6 months after surgery. A paired Student t test was used to assess the statistical difference between the manometric evaluations. A p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Twenty-one patients were available for follow-up. Maximal and mean anal resting and squeezing pressures were unaffected by the surgical procedure, rectoanal inhibitory reflex and length of the high anal pressure zone did not change after the operation. The minimal volume to elicit rectal sensation, urge to defecate and maximal tolerable volume did not change significantly in the postoperative period, although they decreased in 2 and increased in 3 patients. In addition, rectal compliance did not change after surgery. Furthermore, no significant differences were found between patients who were or were not treated with adjuvant radiotherapy.

Our findings suggest that nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer does not seem to be associated with long-term anorectal dysfunction. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.