Mesh Exposure After Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Pelvic Floor Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study

Study Objective

To prospectively evaluate the mesh exposure rate after robot-assisted laparoscopic pelvic floor surgery for the treatment of female pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in a large cohort.

Design

Prospective observational cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).

Setting

Two large teaching hospitals with a tertiary referral function for pelvic floor disorders.

Patients

Patients with symptomatic POP and simplified POP quantification (S-POP) stage ≥2. Patients with a history of mesh repair or concomitant insertion of a tension-free vaginal tape were excluded.

Interventions

Robot-assisted laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy or robot-assisted laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy with a sacrocervicopexy.

Measurements and Main Results

A blinded vaginal examination with the aid of a transparent speculum was performed to look for mesh-related complications. Mesh exposures were described following the International Urogynecological Association/International Continence Society classification system. One hundred and ninety-two patients were included, of whom 166 (86.5%) were seen for follow-up examination. The median duration of follow-up was 15.7 months (range, 8.2–44.4 months). Two vaginal mesh exposures (1.2%) were detected, both of which were treated in the outpatient clinic. One patient without any complaints had a suture exposure, which was removed in the outpatient clinic.

Conclusion

The safety of the use of mesh in pelvic floor surgery is a matter of debate owing to the occurrence of mesh-related complications. Based on the current literature, mesh-related complications seem to be lower in transabdominal mesh surgery than in transvaginal mesh surgery. In this study, a low mesh exposure rate was observed in robot-assisted abdominal pelvic floor surgery for POP.