How does office assessment of prolapse compare to what is seen in the operating room?

It is not known whether the measurements of pelvic organ assessment under anesthesia accurately estimate prolapse severity. We compared Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) measurements in the office to exams under anesthesia.

We prospectively enrolled patients undergoing prolapse surgery between February 2020 and July 2020. POP-Qs at rest and with Valsalva were performed at pre- and postoperative visits. POP-Q under anesthesia was performed, without traction, at the start of case (pre-surgical), following apical suspension, and at the end of case (post-surgical). Primary outcome was change in POP-Q between the office and operating room. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, additional patients were recruited to maintain the follow-up time frame.

Out of 66 patients, 63 underwent surgery and 33 had postoperative exams within 6 weeks. Mean age was 61.3 ± 11.9 years, and mean BMI was 28.4 ± 6.5 kg/m². Preoperative Aa, Ba, C, Ap, Bp, and D with Valsalva had greater descent than pre-surgical measurements. However, preoperative Gh with Valsalva (4.1 ± 1.3 cm) was not different from pre-surgical Gh (4.0 ± 1.0 cm) (P = 0.60). Postoperative Aa, Ba, Ap, Bp, and D were not different from post-surgical measurements. In contrast, postoperative Gh at rest (2.3 ± 0.7 cm) and with Valsalva (2.4 ± 0.8 cm) were both narrower than post-surgical Gh (2.8 ± 0.6 cm) (P < 0.05). Gh was also narrowed after apical suspension (3.6 ± 1.0 cm, P = 0.005) prior to posterior repair.

Surgeons should rely on preoperative POP-Q for surgical decisions. Gh should be reassessed after apical suspension, and further correction should consider that Gh may be exaggerated compared to the measurement postoperatively when the patient is awake.