Introduction and hypothesis: Sacropexy is considered the gold standard for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) although dissection of the promontory may be challenging, particularly in obese women. Laparoscopic lateral suspension with mesh (LLS) could be an alternative.
Methods: LLS provides lateral attachment by fibrosis of a vesicovaginal mesh. Clinical evaluation was performed at 1 year using the simplified POP quantification system (POP-Q). Primary outcomes were objective and subjective cure at 1 year. After a mean of 7.2 years the rates of reoperation and complications were assessed as secondary outcomes. Patient satisfaction was evaluated by telephone interview using a ten-point-scale and the PGI-I scale. Factors predicting satisfaction were determined by logistic regression analysis.
Results: A total of 417 patients were treated between 2003 and 2011. At 1 year 78.4% of patients were asymptomatic and anatomic success rates were 91.6% for the anterior compartment, 93.6% for the apical compartment and 85.3% for the posterior compartment. The complication rate of Clavien-Dindo grade III or higher was 2.2%. The mesh exposure rate was 4.3% and the reoperation rate was 7.3%. Of the 417 patients, 214 participated in the telephone interview. Over 85% rated their situation as improved and satisfaction was associated with the absence of concomitant hysterectomy.
Conclusions: LLS is a safe technique with promising results in terms of a composite outcome, low complication rates and high long-term patient satisfaction. However, a randomized controlled trial is needed to establish the technique as an alternative to sacropexy in the treatment of POP in obese and high morbidity patients.
Keywords: Laparoscopic lateral suspension; Mesh surgery; Patient satisfaction; Pelvic organ prolapse.