A comparison of pelvic organ prolapse and sexual function after abdominal and laparoscopic hysterectomy

Hysterectomy is one of the risk factors of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). There is no consensus on whether the route of hysterectomy affects the subsequent development of POP. The aim of the study was to assess POP and sexual function 1 year after a hysterectomy when comparing total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) with total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH). The study applied the pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) as the measure of POP and a short-form of the POP/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Function Questionnaire (PISQ-12).

All patients that underwent either TAH or TLH due to benign causes between March 2016 and March 2017 at the tertiary hospital used for the study were included in our prospective cohort study. POP-Q measurements and PISQ-12 scores were assessed 1 year postoperatively.

We included 182 patients in the clinical examinations. There were no statistically significant differences in demographic characteristics between the TAH and TLH groups. Also, there we no differences observed in the objective POP measurements between the two study groups. Results of the two groups' PISQ-12 scores were also similar. However, postoperative vaginal lengths were found to be significantly shorter in the patients who had undergone TAH compared with those who had undergone TLH.

TAH and TLH are comparable regarding short-term objective pelvic organ prolapse. Although we found statistically a significant difference in vaginal lengths between the two groups, no clinical significance was found in terms of sexual function.