Media coverage of the 2019 United States Food and Drug Administration ordered withdrawal of vaginal mesh products for pelvic organ prolapse.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: On April 16, 2019, the United States Food and Drug Administration announced a withdrawal on sales and distribution of transvaginal mesh products for pelvic organ prolapse. The aim of this study was to asses online user behavior on pelvic-mesh related articles after the withdrawal and to evaluate article accuracy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used Google Trends© to identify the terms related to pelvic mesh that experienced increased activity after the FDA announcement. The terms were analyzed for worldwide social media engagement (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Reddit) between April 16-19, 2019. The top ten lay press articles shared for each term were evaluated. We also examined the top ten Google search results for each term on June 6, 2019, in the US to evaluate what information was available after peak interest subsided.
RESULTS: During peak activity in April, 30 unique articles were identified after the FDA announcement. Two (6.7%) did not mention the April 2019 FDA announcement. Seven (23%) discussed mesh for stress urinary incontinence. After peak interest on June 6, 2019, Google identified 26 unique articles for the four terms. Seven (27%) did not mention the FDA announcement, and 3 (12%) mentioned mesh for incontinence.
CONCLUSIONS: Internet search patterns and social media behavior following the April 2019 ordered withdrawal on transvaginal mesh for pelvic organ prolapse reveal that some of the most disseminated information did not accurately or thoroughly distinguish the type of mesh discussed. This could lead to negative consequences for other mesh indications in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery.