Transvaginal Excision of an Eroded Sacrocolpopexy Mesh by Using Single-Incision Laparoscopic Surgery Equipment

To show a new technique of using single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) equipment in vaginal surgery to create a "pneumovagina."

Explanatory video demonstrating the technique and intraoperative findings.

University hospital.

The 68-year-old patient was referred with a vaginal mesh erosion that resulted in abscess formation at the vaginal apex. The patient was symptomatic with an increasingly foul-smelling vaginal discharge for about 1 year. She had a laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy in a remote hospital 22 months before the current operation and had a total abdominal hysterectomy 15 years ago. The, patient's history was uneventful without dyspareunia, incontinence or voiding difficulties, and she was otherwise content with the sacrocolpopexy result. The local institutional review board granted exemption for this publication.

Frequently, pelvic organ prolapse can only be effectively treated if the surgical procedure comprises support of the central compartment. Laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy shows superior outcomes for this indication, with success rates of up to 96%. However, a rare side effect of laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy is mesh erosion, occurring in up to 2.4% [1]. These erosions are usually treated laparoscopically [2]. In this video we show an alternative route for excision of a symptomatic exposed mesh by using a transvaginal approach: The SILS trocar is used vaginally for abscess irrigation and mesh excision with minimally invasive instruments.

For treatment of the abscess and removal of the exposed mesh, the SILS trocar was placed vaginally, and laparoscopic instruments were used. The abscess was incised, cleansed and irrigated, debrided, and the mesh excised. Because no mesh material was exposed after excision, the vagina was not closed to avoid creating a cavity with the risk of promoting reabscess formation, and secondary wound healing was anticipated. Laparoscopy was used to confirm that no intra-abdominal lesion coexisted or occurred. There were no signs of further infection of the residual mesh beyond the area exposed in the vagina. The patient's only symptom was foul-smelling discharge, but no back pain or signs of systemic inflammation were found. Knowing that foreign body (mesh) infection usually needs to be treated by complete mesh removal, we did not have any clues of distant mesh infection and counseled the patient that if reinfection occurred a second surgery might be necessary. Nevertheless, we treated this patient with abscess drainage and removal of large parts of the mesh. Thus, the operation was not extended to a complete mesh excision to prevent major surgery and the risk of recurrent prolapse. Particularly, the area of the mesh excision was inspected with the rendezvous technique (light source vaginally, laparoscopic pelvic view with laparoscopic light source switched off) to identify the area of mesh excision from the intra-abdominal area. Sigmoid and rectum were distant to this area, suggesting that no bowel lesion occurred. No complications occurred in the postoperative course. In the follow-up visit 6 months postoperatively the patient was asymptomatic, and the vaginal examination was uneventful with no recurrent erosion. Although improved oversight and richness of detail achieved by the vaginal SILS method is helpful in patients like our case with a suspended vaginal vault, its costs need to be balanced against conventional vaginal approaches (e.g., use of a Lonestar retractor).

The SILS trocar and laparoscope used (SILS Port; Covidien, New Haven, CT) vaginally provide a magnificent and detailed view to allow for exact preparation by means of microinvasive instruments in vaginal surgery, even more in patients with a suspended vaginal vault where access to the apex can be tricky. The "pneumovagina" created by CO₂ insufflation further helps to expose the vaginal apex. The rendezvous technique can additionally be used to identify intra-abominal lesions.