Laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy posthysterectomy: intraoperative feasibility and safety in obese women compared with women of normal weight

Abstract

Introduction and hypothesis: Our aim was to determine the intraoperative feasibility and complication rate of laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy (LSC) in overweight and obese women compared with women of normal weight. Methods: This was a retrospective observational cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2) conducted at a tertiary urogyaenocology unit evaluating 119 women who underwent LSC between March 2005 and January 2013. Results: Body mass index (BMI) was classified as normal (22.89 ± 1.55), overweight (27.12 ± 1.40) and obese (33.47 ± 3.26) according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) classification. There was no difference in intraoperative complication rates for bladder, bowel, ureteric or vascular injury; haemorrhage; conversion to laparotomy; or anaesthetic complications for normal weight, overweight or obese women. Similarly there was no difference in operating time, duration of anaesthetic or hospital stay between BMI class (p = 0.070, p = 0.464, p = 0.898, respectively) postoperative or mesh complication rates. At 6-months’ follow-up, there was no difference in Patient Global Impression of Improvement scale (PGI-I) (defined as very much better or much better) between normal weight, overweight and obese women (76.9, 72 and 65.4%, p =.669) or objective cure using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) examination (p = 0.402). Conclusions: LSC is feasible, with equivalent intraoperative complication rates for normal weight, overweight and obese women when performed by experienced laparoscopic urogynaecologists. Given the benefits of a laparoscopic approach in obese women, the authors suggest they should be offered LSC as an option to treat vault prolapse when surgical management is being considered.