Patient-Specific Pessaries for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Using Three-Dimensional Printing: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Importance Vaginal pessaries are an effective nonsurgical treatment for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) when properly fitted. However, pessary fitting and use are often unsuccessful or imperfect. Objective The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of using patient-specific pessaries fabricated from three-dimensional (3D)-printed molds to improve POP symptoms and increase overall satisfaction of pessary treatment in patients using standard vaginal pessaries. Study Design Patients undergoing POP treatment with standard vaginal pessaries were enrolled in this pilot prospective study. Patient-specific pessaries were designed and fabricated for each patient using patient input, physician input, and anatomic measurements from clinical assessment. Pessary fabrication involved injection of biocompatible liquid silicone rubber into 3D-printed molds followed by a biocompatible silicone coating. Pelvic organ prolapse symptomatic distress and pessary treatment satisfaction were evaluated before and after a 3-week patient-specific pessary home trial using the validated Pelvic Organ Prolapse Distress Inventory-6 form and a visual analog scale, respectively. Results Eight women were included in this study. Changing from standard pessary to patient-specific pessary treatment was associated with an improvement in prolapse symptoms on the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Distress Inventory-6 (median change, −3.5; interquartile range, −5 to −2.5; P = 0.02) and an increase in overall pessary satisfaction on a visual analog scale (median change, +2.0; interquartile range, +1.0 to +3.0; P = 0.02). All patients reported either an improvement or no change in pessary ease of use, comfort, and the feeling of support provided by the pessary. Conclusion Patient-specific vaginal pessaries are a promising alternative to standard pessaries for alleviating POP symptoms and improving patient satisfaction with pessary use.