Quality of life and symptoms following laparoscopic essure removal: a prospective multicenter study

Abstract

The objective of this study was to compare quality of life and symptoms before and after Essure removal. This multicenter, prospective study evaluated patient-reported quality of life and symptoms before and 4 months after laparoscopic Essure removal for device-attributed symptoms. Quality of life was measured using the validated Short Form-8 questionnaire for health-related quality of life. Symptoms were measured using a study-specific questionnaire. Essure removal was performed on 80 patients with device-attributed symptoms at 4 institutions between 2018 and 2020. The majority (n=53, 66.3%) underwent a laparoscopic hysterectomy and bilateral salpingectomy, and the remainder (n=27, 33.8%) underwent a laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy alone. Indications for device removal were pain (n=73, 91.3%) and abnormal bleeding (n=42, 52.5%), in addition to several other patient-reported symptoms. 51 (63.8%) patients completed the postoperative questionnaire. Quality of life was significantly improved following Essure removal as measured by the physical and mental component summary scores (Table 1). Almost all symptoms were less commonly reported after Essure removal (Table 1). Subgroup analyses of patients who underwent a hysterectomy or a salpingectomy alone also demonstrated a significantly improved quality of life after the procedure. Symptoms were more likely to resolve following hysterectomy and salpingectomy compared to salpingectomy alone. Most patients (n=47/51, 92.2%) were satisfied with the results of their surgery. Patients undergoing laparoscopic Essure removal for device-attributed symptoms report improved quality of life and symptoms following the procedure. While the relationship between the Essure device and adverse symptoms remains unclear, Essure removal may benefit those experiencing adverse symptoms and is associated with high patient satisfaction.