Abdominal Techniques for Surgical Management of Vaginal Vault Prolapse
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SURGICAL TECHNIQUES William Irvin, MD Abdominal techniques Associate Professor Division of Gynecologic Oncology for surgical management University of Virginia Health System of vaginal vault prolapse Charlottesville, Va Kathie Hullfish, MD Indications, techniques, and evidence-based rationale Director, Division of Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery and Urogynecology University of Virginia Health System range of clinical conditions can sug- Technique Charlottesville, Va gest an abdominal approach for Identify and tag the remnants of the utero- A vaginal vault prolapse procedures. sacral ligaments at the level of the ischial These include, but are not limited to: spines. Once the ureters are identified and • prior unsuccessful vaginal attempts ® isolated,Dowden address Healththe enterocele Media by obliterat- • obligate need for adnexal access ing the cul-de-sac via Halban’s culdoplasty • markedly foreshortened vagina or abdominal McCall’s culdoplasty. • pelvic bony architecturalCopyright limitationsFor personalOpen the peritoneum use only over the vaginal • high risk for surgical failure (eg, athleti- apex and trim it back to the level of the cism, obesity, chronic obstructive pul- endopelvic fascia of the vaginal wall. After monary disease, congenital connective excising the redundant peritoneum of the tissue disorder) vaginal apex, identify and reapproximate IN THIS ARTICLE • desire for uterine preservation the pubocervical fascia of the anterior In Part 1 (November 2005) of this 2- vaginal wall and the rectovaginal fascia of S Abdominal part article, we reviewed the most widely the posterior vaginal wall using interrupt- sacral colpopexy used and the newest vaginal techniques. ed or running nonabsorbable suture. technique Part 2 focuses on the abdominal approach, Then use nonabsorbable sutures to Page 20 and compares vaginal and abdominal suspend each corner of the prolapsed vagi- approaches. na from its respective ipsilateral utero- S sacral ligament. Why correct all defects at once? Page 22 T High uterosacral ligament suspension T Abdominal sacral colpopexy Surgical technique for this procedure for Abdominal sacral colpopexy was first pop- mild to moderate vaginal vault prolapse ularized by Addison and Timmons in the (stage I or II), using a vaginal approach, 1980s, and is the abdominal standard of was described in Part 1, in the November apical prolapse repair due to its long-term issue of OBG MANAGEMENT. Abdominal durability. repair involves the same concepts; like the Abdominal sacral colpopexy can be vaginal approach, it is applicable only to performed with or without uterine extirpa- the patient with mild to moderate vault tion. When a hysterectomy is performed prolapse. It will be less successful if it is per- concomitantly, some surgeons prefer a formed to address complete vault prolapse. supracervical approach, provided there is www.obgmanagement.com December 2005 • OBG MANAGEMENT 19 For mass reproduction, content licensing and permissions contact Dowden Health Media. L Surgical management of vaginal vault prolapse FIGURE 1 no history of cervical dysplasia, because, Abdominal sacral colpopexy technique theoretically, the cervical stump serves as a firm and substantial point of fixation for the INCISION synthetic mesh that will be used to perform the repair. This in turn may diminish the likelihood of postoperative mesh erosion. Technique Reflect the sigmoid colon as far as possible into the left lateral pelvis to expose the sacral promontory. If it has not already been done, free all adhesions between the colon and pelvic peritoneum to fully mobi- lize the colon and permit its maximal A longitudinal incision in the peritoneum overlying the sacral promontory retraction out of the pelvic field prior to is extended 6 cm into the cul-de-sac, opening the retrorectal space. making the peritoneal incision. Also make it a point to identify all MESH ATTACHMENT structures at risk during this portion of the procedure—namely, the common iliac ves- sels, ureters, and middle sacral artery and vein. The left common iliac vein is medial to the left common iliac artery and is par- ticularly susceptible to injury during this phase of the procedure. Make a longitudinal incision in the peri- toneum overlying the sacral promontory and extend it approximately 6 cm from the promontory dorsally into the cul-de-sac, The mesh is attached through the fibromuscular thickness of the opening the retrorectal space (FIGURE 1, anterior vaginal wall, excluding the mucosa, with multiple interrupted TOP). Using a fine tonsil forceps and sutures. Though the diagram suggests the use of 2 separate pieces of mesh (one for the anterior and one for the posterior walls), doubling cautery, very gently dissect the retroareolar a single piece of mesh and “fishmouthing” the end to be attached to filmy tissue overlying the anterior longitu- the vagina will accomplish the same goal. dinal ligament away from S1 in thin layers Reprinted from Addison WA, Cundiff GW, Bump RC, Harris RL. Sacral colpopexy is the until the white periosteum of the anterior preferred treatment for vaginal vault prolapse. J Gynecol Tech. 1996;2:69-74. ©1996, with permission from Elsevier. longitudinal ligament overlying S1 is clear- ly exposed. It now becomes very easy to CLOSING THE INCISION visualize the course of the middle sacral artery and vein. With these vessels under direct visualization, place 2 permanent #0 sutures through the periosteum of S1. Do not attempt to place these sutures deeper in the presacral space than the S1 vertebral body, or life-threatening and uncontrollable bleeding may result. If there is no uterus, insert a probe such as an end-to-end anastomotic sizer or handheld Harrington retractor into the vagina and extend it, elongating and elevat- The 6-cm incision is closed over the top of the mesh, retroperitonealizing the prosthesis. ing the vaginal cylinder. It now becomes much easier to identify the interface 20 OBG MANAGEMENT • December 2005 Surgical management of vaginal vault prolapse L between the bladder and vagina prior to sacral promontory are threaded through making the peritoneal incision. the apex of the mesh prosthesis at a point If the interface remains indistinct, that will allow the vagina to rest comfort- instill 150 cc of saline into the bladder to ably within the pelvis, without undue ten- delineate its boundaries. Then elevate and sion or traction once the sutures are tied incise the vesicouterine peritoneum overly- into place (FIGURE 1, MIDDLE). ing the junction between the bladder and Trim any excess mesh, and close the 6- vaginal apex; this provides access to the cm longitudinal peritoneal incision previ- vesicocervical space. Dissect the bladder ously created in the cul-de-sac. Close the off the anterior vaginal wall in a caudal incision over the top of the mesh, direction until the pubocervical fascia can retroperitonealizing the mesh prosthesis be identified. Do not dissect away the peri- (FIGURE 1, BOTTOM). toneum over the posterior vaginal wall, but leave it intact. Reconstructive materials T Paravaginal defect repair Although many different materials have The bladder base is intimately associated been described, none have undergone rig- with the anterior vaginal wall via a trian- orous comparisons. In our institution, we gular sheet of pubocervical fascia attached use soft polypropylene (Surgipro; US to and extending from the arcus tendineus Surgical, Norwalk, Conn). fascia pelvis bilaterally. When the apex of Fold a piece of 5-inch mesh over onto the vagina prolapses through the introitus, itself and suture the layers together to cre- as in total vault prolapse, the base of the ate a double-thickness configuration. Then bladder is torn free from these fascial attach- “fishmouth” the caudal end of this mesh ments in the pelvis and herniates through the prosthesis, producing both an anterior and introitus along with the vaginal apex. By def- posterior leaf. With the obturator still inition, a bilateral paravaginal defect will within the vaginal cylinder stretching the result. Thus, surgical repair of total vaginal FAST TRACK vaginal apex, secure the posterior leaf of vault prolapse almost invariably requires Surgical repair the mesh to the posterior vaginal wall with paravaginal defect repair as well. 3 to 5 nonabsorbable #0 sutures. The goal of paravaginal defect repair is of total vaginal Suture placement. Thread each suture ini- to reattach, bilaterally, the anterolateral vault prolapse tially through the posterior leaf of the vaginal sulcus and its overlying endopelvic almost always mesh, placed deeply through the fibromus- fascia to the pubococcygeus and obturator cular thickness of the posterior vaginal internus muscles and fascia at the level of requires wall, then bring it back out through the the arcus tendineus fascia pelvis. paravaginal defect mesh at the same point. Place the sutures in repair, as well a transverse line 1 to 2 cm apart and 3 to Technique 4 cm distal to the vaginal apex. Enter and gently develop the retropubic Once all sutures have been placed, tie space of Retzius, taking care not to disrupt each of them, thereby securing the posteri- the myriad venous anastomotic networks of or leaf of the mesh to the posterior vaginal the plexus of Santorini, located on and wall. Now perform a “mirror” procedure around the bladder. Bluntly mobilize the to secure the anterior leaf of the mesh pros- bladder bilaterally, exposing the lateral thesis to the anterior vaginal wall. Then retropubic spaces, the pubococcygeus and