Evaluation of patients undergoing colpocleisis: A single-center experience

Abstract

The aim was to evaluate patients who underwent colpoclesis due to pelvic organ prolapse (POP). This cross-sectional study included patients who had undergone colpoclesis surgery. Age, gravity, parity, systemic diseases, examination findings, anesthetic methods used, surgical complications, additional operations, and length of hospital stay were recorded. At evaluation, patients were divided into two groups: partial colpoclesis and total colpoclesis. The mean age of patients was 73.25±5.45 (60-80), gravidity was 4.58±2.38 (2-11), and parity was 4.08±1.45 (2-7). While uterine prolapse was observed in 47 (97.9%) patients, one patient was found to have vaginal cuff prolapse. Partial colpoclesia was performed in 28 (58.3%) of the patients. While 16 of the patients (33.3%) had no additional systemic disease, the remaining patients had at least one systemic disease, with hypertension being the most common at 58.3%. Twenty-eight of the patients (58.3%) underwent surgery under general anesthesia and the rest under spinal anesthesia. While no postoperative complication occurred in 46 (95.8%) of the patients, blood transfusion (erythrocyte suspension) was observed in one patient and delirium was observed in another patient after surgery. The postoperative discharge time of patients was 3.66±2.10 (2-9) days. Statistically significant differences were found between the partial and total colpoclesis groups in terms of age, gravity and parity (p=0.002, p=0.022, and p=0.030, respectively). There were no significant differences between groups in discharge time (p = 0.143) and type of anesthesia (p=0.104). Colpoclesis surgery can be safely performed in elderly patients diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse who are not sexually active. This method should be recommended as an option, especially in patients with complicated systemic diseases. Although short-term serious complications are not uncommon in patients, routine follow-up of patients with partial colpoclesis for long-term complications should be continued.