Short-term and long-term follow-up of abdominal sacrocolpopexy for vaginal vault prolapse: initial experience in a district general hospital.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term and long-term outcome with patients' satisfaction of abdominal sacrocolpopexy performed on our initial 11 patients for vaginal vault prolapse. All patients included in this study underwent surgery at a district general hospital and was performed by one experienced clinician (co-author). A retrospective analysis was performed on all 11 consecutive women who underwent abdominal sacrocolpopexy for vaginal vault prolapse between September 1996 and January 1997 and were followed-up at 6 months and at 5-year intervals. Our initial experience reveals that abdominal sacrocolpopexy is a safe and effective method in the treatment of posthysterectomy prolapse of the vaginal vault. It is associated with a low incidence of intraoperative and immediate postoperative complications and recurrent vault prolapse. Latent stress incontinence may be unmasked and preoperative urodynamic evaluation is therefore recommended. Our study also agrees with the other studies in that co-existent cystocoele, rectocoele and enterocoele should be corrected at the same setting. Following this series we have modified our technique to reduce postoperative complications such as graft erosion, which is being analysed separately. It finally concludes that this operation should be considered by every gynaecologist and that it can be performed in any district general hospital.