Prostaglandin F2 alpha for prevention of urinary retention after vaginal hysterectomy

The delay in spontaneous micturition after pelvic surgical procedures is a significant complication. This study was performed to establish the validity of intravesical instillation of prostaglandin F2 alpha in the prevention of urinary retention after vaginal surgery. For this purpose 102 patients were randomly and alternatively allocated to receive either 16 mg of prostaglandin F2 alpha diluted in 40 mL of saline or saline only given intravesically. Similar numbers of patients with vaginal hysterectomy (27 versus 31), vaginal repair (12 versus 11), and repair with Kelly urethral plication (12 versus 9) were included in the study and control group, respectively. The frequency of urinary retention in the women treated with prostaglandin F2 alpha was decreased significantly as compared with those treated with saline alone (P less than .02). But this was true for women undergoing vaginal hysterectomy only. There was also a significantly shorter hospitalization of women receiving prostaglandin F2 alpha (P less than .05) and there were no side effects.