Intra- and perioperative complications associated with tandem and colpostat application for cervix cancer

The purpose of this study was to chronicle the acute morbidity associated with the implantation of tandems and colpostats in women with carcinoma of the cervix; to determine factors that predispose to the development of such complications; and to assess whether the use of ultrasound allowed the apparatus to be safely implanted in women at relatively high risk for perforation of hollow viscous organs.

A database from two Philadelphia institutions was used to assess the aforementioned factors among 143 tandems/colpostats inserted into 100 women with cervix cancer. Twenty patients had insertion under ultrasound guidance because of stenotic cervical os, fibrosis from external-beam irradiation, indeterminate orientation of endometrial cavity axis, or previous perforation. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify predictors of intra- and perioperative complications.

Intraoperative complications occurred in 7 of 143 placements (5%). These included uterine perforations (n = 4), vaginal lacerations (n = 2), and one instance of bladder perforation. Only older age, whether entered as a continuous or a dichotomous variable, was associated statistically with these complications. Perioperative complications (e.g., fever, bowel obstruction, exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiac complication) occurred in 54 of 143 implanted women. In univariate analysis, older age and underlying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) appeared to be associated with perioperative complications. A multivariate analysis showed that underlying COPD predisposed to perioperative complications during the first implant and that age over 60 years independently predicted for complications during any implant.

Intraoperative complications are relatively rare events. Ultrasonography seems to allow safe intrauterine insertion of the tandem despite the selection of difficult cases for this adjunctive imaging tool. Patient age over 60 years independently predicts for perioperative complications. COPD predicts for perioperative complications during the first but not the second implant, implying that physicians are able to optimize the medical management of pulmonary disease to allow a second implant to be performed more safely.