Yves-Jacques Castille1, Chiara Avocetien2, Dieudonné Zaongo3, Jean-Marie Colas4, James O Peabody5, Charles-Henry Rochat6. 1. Rehabilitation Department, Cliniques Universitaires St Luc, Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: yves.castille@uclouvain.be. 2. Rehabilitation Department, Hôpital St Jean de Dieu, Tanguiéta, Bénin. 3. Gynecology Department, Hôpital St Jean de Dieu, Tanguiéta, Bénin. 4. Urology Department, Polyclinique du Parc, Dole, France. 5. Vattikui Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, USA. 6. Urology Department, Clinique Générale Beaulieu, Geneva, Switzerland; Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Surgery is the only successful treatment for most obstetric fistulae. The present study measured the impact of a structured program of pre- and postoperative physiotherapy and health education on the outcome of surgery for obstetric fistula. METHODS: We compared the postoperative outcomes of 2 consecutive groups of women with obstetric fistulae who were recruited and followed-up by 2 local nongovernmental organizations at a hospital in Tanguiéta, Benin. The first group of women (n=99) had fistula repair using standardized techniques. The second group (n=112) had a standardized surgical approach plus a structured program of pre- and postoperative health education and physiotherapy. RESULTS: The program had a significant positive impact on recovery in general and on urinary incontinence in particular. After physiotherapy, the odds of recovery were 2.72 times greater for women in the physiotherapy group than for control patients, and the probability of postoperative stress incontinence was considerably higher for patients in the control group than for those in the physiotherapy group (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: A structured program of health education and physiotherapy by experienced nurses and physiotherapists improves the likelihood of a successful outcome after surgical repair of obstetric fistula.
OBJECTIVE: Surgery is the only successful treatment for most obstetric fistulae. The present study measured the impact of a structured program of pre- and postoperative physiotherapy and health education on the outcome of surgery for obstetric fistula. METHODS: We compared the postoperative outcomes of 2 consecutive groups of women with obstetric fistulae who were recruited and followed-up by 2 local nongovernmental organizations at a hospital in Tanguiéta, Benin. The first group of women (n=99) had fistula repair using standardized techniques. The second group (n=112) had a standardized surgical approach plus a structured program of pre- and postoperative health education and physiotherapy. RESULTS: The program had a significant positive impact on recovery in general and on urinary incontinence in particular. After physiotherapy, the odds of recovery were 2.72 times greater for women in the physiotherapy group than for control patients, and the probability of postoperative stress incontinence was considerably higher for patients in the control group than for those in the physiotherapy group (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: A structured program of health education and physiotherapy by experienced nurses and physiotherapists improves the likelihood of a successful outcome after surgical repair of obstetric fistula.
Authors: Alexandre Delamou; Moustapha Diallo; Abdoul Habib Beavogui; Thérèse Delvaux; Sita Millimono; Mamady Kourouma; Karen Beattie; Mark Barone; Thierno Hamidou Barry; Mohamed Khogali; Mary Edginton; Sven Gudmund Hinderaker; Joseph Ruminjo; Wei-Hong Zhang; Vincent De Brouwere Journal: Trop Med Int Health Date: 2015-03-06 Impact factor: 2.622