Anterior vaginal suspension for vaginal vault prolapse.

Vaginal prolapse may occur following hysterectomy or may evolve with the uterus in place. Current treatment options for vaginal prolapse have a limited success rate or are associated with significant morbidity. In this retrospective review, we present our experience with a new procedure for repair of vaginal prolapse. This technique relies on anterior suspension of the vaginal vault to the anterior rectus sheath in a fashion similar to bladder neck suspension. Forty patients have undergone this procedure. All patients had vaginal prolapse, cystocele, and urinary incontinence. In addition, 34 patients had enterocele, six had uterine prolapse, 33 had rectocele, and two had urethral diverticula. All patients had anterior vaginal suspension (AVS), with cystocele repair and bladder neck suspension. Six patients had vaginal hysterectomy, 34 had enterocele repair, 33 had rectocele repair, and two had urethral diverticulectomy. The mean hospital stay was 2.5 days (range, 1-7 days), and their mean follow-up was 30 months (range, 12-54 months). Thirty-six (90%) patients have excellent support of the vagina with no evidence of recurrent cystocele, enterocele, or rectocele. Four (10%) patients have recurrent enterocele. Thirty-three (82.5%) patients are dry or have rare episodes of urinary incontinence (less than one episode/month), whereas four (10%) patients have recurrent stress incontinence and three (7.5%) have urge incontinence. Constipation and fecal incontinence were resolved in all patients. All patients who were sexually active preoperatively remained so postoperatively, and none reported dyspareunea. Vaginogram in 10 patients demonstrated that posterior angulation of the vaginal axis was retained in all patients. AVS is associated with an excellent success rate in terms of resolution of symptoms and correction of prolapse. Morbidity is minimal, and hospital stay is short. The technique is simple and relies on anatomy that is familiar to all urologists. In addition, the vaginal approach allows for simultaneous correction of all components of vaginal prolapse and any associated vaginal pathology.