Treatment of anterior vaginal wall prolapse with porcine skin collagen implant by the transobturator route: preliminary results.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility and efficacy of porcine skin collagen (Pelvicol) implant by the transobturator route for the treatment of anterior vaginal wall prolapse.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven women with stage III or IV prolapse underwent anterior vaginal wall repair with porcine skin collagen implantation by the transobturator route, together with bilateral sacropinofixation; respectively 17 and 16 women underwent hysterectomy and bilateral sapingo-oophorectomy during the same procedure. The feasibility and peri/postoperative complications of the transobturator procedure were assessed, together with anatomical and functional outcome.

RESULTS: Porcine skin collagen implantation was feasible in every case. The transobturator procedure lasted a median of 25 min (range 20-35). There were no vessel or bladder injuries and no postoperative complications (including infections). Median follow-up was 14 months (range 8 to 24). No rejection of the porcine grafts occurred. Twenty-two women (81%) had optimal anatomic results, while the remaining five women (19%) had persistent asymptomatic stage I or II anterior vaginal wall prolapse (1 and 4 cases, respectively). In one case the collagen implant had to be removed after one year because of persistent pain due to transfixing vaginal stitch. One patient with optimal anatomic results had recurrent stage III Ba prolapse at 18 months. Quality of life and urinary discomfort scores improved significantly after the procedure (p<0.0001 and p<0.005, respectively).

CONCLUSION: These preliminary results suggest that porcine skin collagen implantation by the transobturator route is a safe and effective treatment for anterior vaginal wall prolapse.