Deinfibulation for treating urologic complications of type III female genital mutilation: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Women and girls who have undergone type III female genital mutilation (FGM) may suffer urologic complications such as recurrent urinary tract infections, obstruction, stones, and incontinence. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of deinfibulation for preventing and treating urologic complications in women and girls living with FGM. Search strategy: The following major databases were searched from inception to August 2015: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov without language restrictions. Selection criteria: Randomized controlled studies (RCTs) or observational studies with controls were considered. Data collection and analysis: We screened the results of the search independently for potentially relevant studies and applied inclusion and exclusion criteria for the full texts of the relevant studies. Results: No RCTs were found. We found three case reports and a retrospective case review, all of which were excluded. Conclusion: There is no evidence on the use of deinfibulation to improve urologic complications among women with type III FGM. Current clinical practice may be informed by anecdotal evidence from case reports. Appropriate RCTs and observational studies with comparison groups in countries where FGM is common are needed. PROSPERO registration: CRD42015024901.