European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
The use of the pessary test in preoperative assessment of women with severe genital prolapse
Introduction
It is well accepted that genitourinary prolapse, by distorting the normal anatomical relationships between pelvic organs and the lower urinary tract, can conceal occult urinary incontinence. More precisely it is thought that urethral kinking or increased urethral resistance, due to the prolapse, can mask underlying urinary stress incontinence. Once the genitourinary prolapse has been surgically reduced, the urinary incontinence may become clinically evident [1]. Several studies have investigated the role of the pessary test during urodynamics in patients scheduled for prolapse surgery [2], [3], [4]. The rationale behind the pessary test is to simulate the position that the bladder/bladder neck/fascia will occupy after the prolapse surgery. If there is leakage during the simulation (pessary positive patients) then a simultaneous anti-incontinence procedure could be an option [5]. Jha et al. [6] reported that pessary testing changed the management in 33% of patients.
This prospective study was undertaken in order to investigate whether a positive pessary test during preoperative urodynamics could be used to predict the need for an anti-incontinence procedure in patients with occult stress incontinence scheduled for prolapse surgery and whether the concomitant insertion of a transobturator tension-free vaginal tape (TVT-O) in these patients would be effective in preventing the occurrence of overt postoperative stress urinary incontinence.
Section snippets
Materials and methods
We prospectively recruited women with stage III and IV urogenital prolapse according to the International Continence Society (ICS) classification [7] with no symptoms of urinary incontinence and a positive pessary test (occult incontinence present). The pessary size was chosen with the patient in the lithotomy position and the examiner's index and middle fingers placed at the level of posterior vaginal fornix, and measuring the distance in centimeters from the posterior vaginal fornix (PVF) to
Results
There were no differences in the demographic and clinical data between the groups (Table 1). The urodynamic parameters for patients of group 1 and group 2 are given in Table 2. There were no statistically significant differences concerning first desire, postvoid residual, maximum cystometric capacity, maximum flow rate, and maximum urethral closure pressure. In the TVT-O treated group, 90.7% of the patients had no signs of urodynamic stress incontinence at three months and 86% of patients were
Comments
Urogenital prolapse is a common condition and one of the major reasons for gynecologic surgery. It has been reported that up to 11–22% [9] of patients with prolapse develop postoperative incontinence following corrective surgery. Occult urinary stress incontinence has been reported to occur in 36–80% of patients with severe prolapse [10]. Diagnosis of occult incontinence is made by stress tests during urodynamics. The sensitivity and specificity of various stress tests (pessary, swab, speculum
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the assistant professor Dr. D. Rizos for his valuable statistical advice.
References (19)
- et al.
Occult stress incontinence in women with pelvic organ prolapse
Int J Obstet Gynecol
(2007) - et al.
The standardization of terminology of female pelvic organ prolapse and pelvic floor dysfunction
Am J Obstet Gynecol
(1996) - et al.
Trans-obturator vaginal tape (TOT) for female stress incontinence: one year follow-up in 120 patients
Eur Urol
(2005) - et al.
Combined genitourinary prolapse repair and prophylactic tension-free vaginal tape in women with severe prolapse and occult stress urinary incontinence: preliminary results
Urology
(2001) - et al.
A randomized comparison of tension-free vaginal tape and endopelvic fascia placation in women with genital prolapse and occult stress urinary incontinence
Am J Obstet Gynecol
(2004) - et al.
Predicting the need for anti-incontinence surgery in continent women undergoing repair of severe urogenital prolapse
J Urol
(2000) - et al.
Predicting postoperative urinary incontinence in women undergoing operation for genitourinary prolapse
Am J Obstet Gynecol
(1988) - et al.
The mechanism of urinary incontinence in women with severe uterovaginal prolapse: results of barrier studies
Obstet Gynecol
(1988) - et al.
Prevalence of occult stress incontinence in continent women with severe genital prolapse
J Obstet Gynecol
(2007)
Cited by (23)
Directive clinique n° 411: Utilisation des pessaires
2021, Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology CanadaGuideline No. 411: Vaginal Pessary Use
2021, Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology CanadaCitation Excerpt :Women choosing a pessary for the treatment of POP are as likely to be satisfied and have improved pelvic floor function as those selecting surgery.8 Diagnostically, pessaries can be used to provide preoperative evaluation of women with POP by unmasking latent stress incontinence9 and information on postoperative voiding dysfunction.10,11 Occult urinary incontinence could be revealed during the use of a pessary or during the performance of urodynamic testing with and without a pessary, although this method of evaluation may be suboptimal.12
Testing for Occult Stress Urinary Incontinence in Patients With Pelvic Organ Prolapse? Results of a Pragmatic Approach
2020, Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology CanadaCitation Excerpt :These results are consistent with those of the CARE trial subgroup analysis and approach those of Liapis et al.,8 whose cohort was of similar size to ours. Liapis et al. reported a postoperative SUI rate of 23% at 3 months and a long-term rate of 43.6% at 2 years in OSUI-positive patients who did not undergo concomitant SUI surgery.8 The CARE trial was significantly larger (n = 322) and had a higher rate of SUI at 3 months (60%) in OSUI-positive patients who did not undergo anti-incontinence surgery.
Mise à jour technique sur l'utilisation des pessaires
2016, Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology CanadaCitation Excerpt :Les femmes qui choisissent d'avoir recours à un pessaire pour la prise en charge de leur prolapsus sont tout aussi susceptibles que les femmes qui choisissent la chirurgie d'être satisfaites et d'obtenir une amélioration du fonctionnement de leur plancher pelvien8. Les pessaires peuvent également être utilisés aux fins de l'évaluation préopératoire des femmes qui présentent un prolapsus : ils permettent de mettre au jour l'incontinence à l'effort latente9 et offrent des renseignements sur le dysfonctionnement mictionnel postopératoire10,11. Ces renseignements peuvent être révélés dans le cadre de l'utilisation d'un pessaire ou de la tenue d'une analyse urodynamique avec ou sans pessaire.
Assessment before surgical treatment for pelvic organ prolapse: Clinical practice guidelines
2016, Progres en UrologieVaginal lesions by pessary. Study of cases and literatura review
2013, Clinica e Investigacion en Ginecologia y Obstetricia