Evaluation and management of a rectocele in a resource limited setting

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Date
2017-01
Authors
Henn, Etienne Wilhelm
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University of the Free State
Abstract
English: INTRODUCTION: A rectocele can be expected in approximately 11-19% of women and is present in 40-85% of women requiring pelvic floor surgery for other disorders. There is considerable international variation in the evaluation and management of these women, particularly in regards to surgical treatment. The healthcare environment of the Free State is one with limited resources and innovative clinical approaches are often required to allow for optimal service provision to continue. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this thesis was to research the assessment and management of women who presented with rectoceles in a resource limited setting through innovative and frugal methods, whilst maintaining a pragmatic clinical inclination. METHODOLOGY: The methodologies included the linguistic and cultural psychometric validation of pelvic floor questionnaires, the randomized assessment of the clinical impact that transperineal ultrasound has on patient management, the randomized evaluation of the value which a rectopexy might add in combination with a sacrocolpopexy, the retrospective review of a rectocele plication and description of this novel surgical technique, the retrospective review of the benefit which a perineal body repair in combination with a posterior repair might confer as well as the randomized assessment for non-inferiority of a rectocele plication compared to a defect-specific repair in women with rectoceles. RESULTS: The PFDI-20, PFIQ-7 and PISQ-12 pelvic floor questionnaires were validated in South African women for the languages of Afrikaans and Sesotho and shown to be responsive to clinical change. The integration of transperineal ultrasound findings resulted in an alteration of the definitive management plan in 37.6% of women and this was most evident for those with posterior compartment disorders. A rectopexy was not found to add significant clinical benefit in women with advanced multi-compartment pelvic organ prolapse who underwent an extensive sacrocolpopexy. The rectocele plication procedure, which involves the repair of the anterior rectal wall though a vaginal approach, was found to result in anatomic success of 88.6% after a mean follow-up period of 27 months with an associated significant improvement in symptoms and quality of life. The addition of a perineal body repair in those women who underwent a rectocele plication was not observed to be of any clinical benefit in this population. The randomized assessment of a rectocele plication compared to a defect-specific repair demonstrated that the new procedure was not inferior to the existing operation in regards to anatomic outcome. The anatomic success rates were 92.3% and 76.9% respectively (p=0.2485, 95% CI -13.6; 42.5). The rectocele plication did however demonstrate significantly superior symptomatic and functional outcomes compared to a defect-specific repair after 1 year. A significant observation was that of voiding dysfunction in this population of women with isolated rectoceles. This was the second most prevalent initial complaint and it was significantly improved (p= 0.0011) after surgical correction of a rectocele in both the retrospective and prospective evaluations. CONCLUSION: This research compilation demonstrated that a thorough assessment of women with posterior compartment disorders through the use of validated instruments and standardized investigations in combination with innovative surgical procedures resulted in clinical outcomes not inferior to those reported elsewhere in the literature. It emphasized that pragmatic innovation in a limited resource healthcare environment can produce internationally equivalent clinical results.
Afrikaans: INLEIDING: ‘n Rektoseel kan gevind word in ongeveer 11-19% van alle vroue en is ook teenwoordig in 40-85% van dames wat pelviese vloer chirurgie vir ander redes moet kry. Daar is beduidende internasionale variasie in die wyse hoe hierdie dames evalueer en hanteer word en dit is veral duidelik in terme van die chirurgiese behandeling van ‘n rektoseel. Die Vrystaat se gesondheidsorg het beperkte hulpbronne en innoverende kliniese benaderings moet dikwels gevolg word om dienslewering volhoubaar te laat geskied. DOELWITTE: Die doelwit van hierdie tesis was om die evaluasie en hantering van dames wat presenteer met ‘n rektoseel in ‘n gesondheidsorg sisteem met beperkte hulpbronne na te vors deur gebruik te maak van innoverende en ekonomiese metodes, maar met die behoud van ‘n pragmatiese kliniese benadering tot hierdie dames. METODIEK: Die metodologieë wat gebruik was tydens hierdie projek het die taalkundige en kulturele psigometriese bekragtiging van pelviese vloer vraelyste ingesluit, die gerandomiseerde evaluasie van die kliniese belang van ‘n transperineale ultraklank ondersoek op die behandeling van ‘n pasiënt, die gerandomiseerde evaluasie van die waarde wat ‘n rektopeksie byvoeg tot ‘n sakrokolpopeksie, die retrospektiewe evaluasie van ‘n rektoseel plikasie en die beskrywing van hierdie nuwe chirurgiese tegniek, die retrospektiewe evaluasie van die voordeel wat ‘n perineale liggaam herstel gesamentlik met ‘n posterior herstel mag hê, sowel as die gerandomiseerde evaluasie vir nie-minderwaardigheid wat ‘n rektoseel plikasie in vergelyking met ‘n defek-spesifieke posterior herstel in dames met ‘n rektoseel het. RESULTATE: Die PFDI-20, PFIQ-7 en PISQ-12 pelviese vloer vraelyste was bevind om geldig te wees in Afrikaans en Sesotho onder Suid-Afrikaanse dames en is ook bewys om akkuraat te reageer op kliniese veranderinge. Die integrasie van transperineale ultraklank bevindinge het gelei tot ‘n verandering in die finale hantering van 37.6% van dames en dit was mees betekenisvol in die pasiënte met posterior kompartement prolaps. Daar is bevind dat ‘n rektopeksie geen beduidende kliniese voordele inhou vir pasiënte wat ‘n omvattende sakrokolpopeksie ondergaan vir multi-kompartement pelviese orgaan prolaps nie. Die rektoseel plikasie prosedure, wat die vaginale herstel van die beskadigde anterior rektale wand behels, was anatomies suksesvol in 88.6% van pasiënte na ‘n gemiddelde tydperk van 27 maande en het ook gelei tot ‘n betekenisvolle verbetering in simptome sowel as algemene lewenskwaliteit. Die toevoeging van ‘n perineale liggaam herstel tot ‘n rektoseel plikasie het geen duidelike voordele ingehou in hierdie populasie nie. Die gerandomiseerde evaluasie van ‘n rekotseel plikasie en ‘n defek-spesifieke herstel het bevind dat die nuwe chirurgiese tegniek nie minderwaardig is as die bestaande tegniek ten opsigte van anatomiese sukses nie. Die anatomiese sukses was onderskeidelik 92.3% en 76.9% (p=0.2488, vertrouensinterval -13.6; 42.5). Die rektoseel plikasie was egter duidelik superieur tot die defek-spesifieke herstel ten opsigte van simptomatiese uitkomste na een jaar. ‘n Beduidende bevinding was die van urinêre disfunksie in hierdie populasie dames met geїsoleerde rektosele. Hierdie was die tweede mees algemene aanvanklike klagte waarmee hierdie dames gekom het en dit was betekenisvol verlig (p=0.0011) na die chirurgiese herstel van ‘n rektoseel in beide die retrospektiewe sowel as die prospektiewe analises. GEVOLGTREKKING: Hierdie saamgestelde navorsingsprojekte het aangetoon dat ‘n volledige evaluering van dames met posterior kompartement abnormaliteite deur die gebruik van geldige vraelyste, gestandaardiseerde kliniese ondersoeke en gekombineerd met innoverende chirurgiese prosedures kan lei tot kliniese uitkomste wat geensins inferior is tot die wat elders ter wêreld gerapporteer is nie. Die geheelbeeld beklemtoon dat pragmatiese innovasie in ‘n gesondheidsisteem met beperkte hulpbronne kan lei tot internasionaal gelykwaardige resultate.
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Keywords
Defect-specific repair, Limited resources, Non-inferiority, Perineal body repair, Posterior compartment, Quality of life, Rectocele, Rectocele plication, Rectopexy, Transperineal ultrasound, Pelvis -- Surgery, Pelvic floor -- Diseases -- Treatment, Thesis (Ph.D. (Obstetrics and Gynaecology))--University of the Free State, 2017
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