Tailor-made three-dimensional printing vaginal pessary to treat pelvic organ prolapse: a pilot study

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to apply three-dimensional (3D) printing technology to treat women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and to evaluate efficacy based on the improvement by quality of life (QOL) questionnaires. Methods This was a pilot study at a tertiary urogynecology unit in Taiwan. Between January 2021 and June 6, 2021, participants who opted for self-management using Gellhorn pessaries to treat symptomatic POP were enrolled. For each woman, the original Gellhorn pessary was placed into the vagina to restore the prolapsed tissues and under transvaginal ultrasound guided to evaluate the gap which the Gellhorn pessary cannot cover. Otoform (an impression silicone) was used to make a model and have it hooked onto Gellhorn pessary (template). We collected templates and then applied 3D printing to customize the silicone vaginal pessary. All women completed multiple validated QOL questionnaires at baseline and at 3 and 6 months. Results Six women completed the study. The QOL questionnaires revealed significant improvements across the board. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that a tailor made 3D pessary can be used for women with POP. A customized pessary can be made with the help of transvaginal ultrasound and 3D printing technology.