Pelvic organ prolapse surgery in elderly patients

Abstract

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) can cause incomplete bladder emptying or hydronephrosis and renal failure. These are serious conditions, especially in elderly women, requiring resolution of POP. Pessary use is an alternative, but there are specific problems or patients may not want it. We therefore conducted a retrospective study on surgical treatment of elderly women with respect to the type of surgery and intra- and postoperative complications. From two urogynecologic centers, we reviewed treatment data between 2003 and 2013, including patients ≥80years of age. From the hospital records, intra- and postoperative data were extracted. 91 cases met the inclusion criteria. Mean age was 84.38years (±3.05, max 92years). Two patients (2.2%) were diagnosed with hydronephrosis and two with urosepsis/renal failure. The mean length of surgery was 81min (±45min, range 10-270), 94.5% of patients were under general anesthesia. Two bowel lesions occurred. The mean length of hospital stay was 8days (range 1-22, n=90). There were no perioperative mortalities. Six patients (6.6%) were admitted to intensive care unit. In the future, we will be facing a growing number of elderly women seeking care for POP. In our retrospective analysis, we were able to show that POP surgery could be performed safely. We therefore consider surgical treatment as a valuable alternative if pessary use is not an option.