Female pelvic organ prolapse

  The female pelvic floor consists of multiple layers of muscles and fascia that close the pelvic outlet, with the urethra, vagina and rectum penetrating the pelvic floor. Weakness of the pelvic floor muscles and fascia will lead to pelvic organ prolapse.  Pelvic organ prolapse is a very “embarrassing” disease that affects middle-aged and elderly women. Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a type of pelvic organ prolapse caused by various causes of weakness in the supporting tissues of the pelvic floor, resulting in the lowering and displacement of the pelvic organs and abnormal position and function of the organs. According to Nygaard, 9.7% of women aged 20-39 years old and 49.7% of those over 80 years old have a history of one delivery, 18.4% of two deliveries and 24.6% of three or more deliveries. The rate of symptomatic POP in obese and large body mass index is up to 26.3%. Population studies by the World Health Association show that stage III or higher POP accounts for approximately 2-4%.  With the increasing incidence of pelvic organ prolapse and the pursuit of high quality of life by women, female pelvic floor science has developed rapidly in recent years, and various pelvic floor repair and reconstruction surgeries have been flourishing, with new theories, new concepts and new procedures being proposed. Among them, the most important milestone theories are the hammock hypothesis proposed by Delancey in the 1890s, the three-level theory of vaginal support structures and the holistic theory of Petros, which have become the basis for the diagnosis and treatment of POP, i.e., the restoration of function through the restoration of anatomy.  Clinical manifestations: In mild cases, there is no discomfort, but in severe cases, there may be a prolapsed vaginal mass, varying degrees of lumbosacral pain or a sensation of falling, and symptoms may be obvious after prolonged standing or exertion, but may decrease after resting in bed. If the exposed cervix or vaginal wall rubs against the clothes and pants for a long time, it may lead to ulceration and bleeding of the local cervix or vaginal wall, and there may be purulent discharge after secondary infection. Uterine prolapse rarely affects menstruation and does not even affect conception, pregnancy or delivery. In cases of anterior vaginal wall prolapse, there may be urinary disturbances such as dysuria, urinary retention, incontinence, etc. Sometimes the anterior vaginal wall needs to be lifted upwards to urinate, and in severe cases there is a risk of renal impairment. The posterior wall of the vagina may have difficulty passing stool, sometimes requiring finger pressure on the posterior wall of the vagina to pass stool.  Pelvic organ prolapse in women is usually classified as anterior vaginal wall prolapse, uterine prolapse, vaginal apex prolapse, intestinal hernia and posterior vaginal wall prolapse depending on the site of occurrence. Multiple sites of prolapse often coexist. In recent times, the female pelvis has been divided into three regions: anterior, middle and posterior, so pelvic organ prolapse has been classified into: anterior pelvic defects: including bladder and anterior vaginal wall bulge and urinary incontinence; middle pelvic defects: including uterine and vaginal vault prolapse (in case of hysterectomy); posterior pelvic defects: including posterior vaginal wall and rectal bulge, which may be combined with intestinal hernia.  Surgical treatment Surgical treatment is the main treatment for severe prolapse. Statistics show that approximately 11% of women will require surgical treatment for prolapse during their lifetime, and approximately 30% of these patients will require reoperation within 4 years of the initial surgery. We will consult with the patient and family to determine the treatment plan based on the patient’s specific condition, including age, severity of prolapse, general condition, previous surgical history, and proposed surgical options.  Indication for surgery: pelvic organ prolapse with POP-Q stage II or above and symptomatic completion of reproductive tasks. Common symptoms include: symptoms caused by prolapse – chronic pelvic pain, sensation of subsidence or pressure when walking or standing and discomfort during intercourse or difficulty in intercourse, which affects normal life. Selection criteria for rectal prolapse repair: need for finger assistance and/or finger anal examination to help with bowel movements, or severe rectal prolapse, or defecography showing contrast retention at the rectal prolapse.  The choice of surgical modality and related issues POP has a long and varied history of surgical treatment. As early as 1850 Riggoli described cervical lengthening, in 1859 Huquer pioneered cervical amputation; in 1861 in New Orleans, Chopp ins performed the first transvaginal hysterectomy; in 1877 there was the Le Fort vaginal closure; in 1888 Donala performed cervical amputation and Manchester The problems of these traditional surgeries were: (1) distortion or impairment of the anatomy, such as the loss of the supporting ligaments of the vagina by the cervical hysterectomy; (2) failure to improve the defects of the upper part of the vagina, which were prone to recurrence, especially the bulging vault; (3) significant narrowing of the vagina and impairment of its function, while the Le Fort vaginal closure completely deprived the patient of sexual life; (4) postoperative vaginal discomfort and pain; (5) easy recurrence. (5) easy recurrence.  The main goal of modern pelvic floor reconstruction surgery is to restore anatomy, relieve symptoms, restore function, and preserve sexual function as much as possible. The procedures include autologous tissue repair, mesh addition repair, laparoscopic suspension surgery, etc. The essence of modern pelvic floor reconstruction surgery lies in Restain maintenance (anatomy), Reconstruction reconstruction (structure), and Replacement substitution (material). The “side-to-side connection” is the basic theory of reconstruction. The patch needs to be fixed to the arch tendons and ligaments on both sides. By fixing the patch it is possible to obtain support that preserves the full width and length of the vagina.  Modern pelvic floor reconstructive surgery for women with pelvic floor dysfunction has achieved good results in most patients, with high objective and subjective clinical cure rates. The current commonly used pelvic floor reconstruction surgery has a postoperative disease recurrence rate of 10% or less. However, a few patients have rejection of materials and infection causing patch erosion, resulting in surgical failure.