Native Tissue Posterior Compartment Repair for Isolated Posterior Vaginal Prolapse: Anatomical and Functional Outcomes

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Posterior compartment prolapse is associated with constipation and obstructed defecation syndrome. However, there is still a lack of consensus on the optimal treatment for this condition. We aim to investigate functional, anatomical, and quality-of-life outcomes of native tissue transvaginal repair of isolated symptomatic rectocele. Materials and Methods: We retrospective analyzed patients who underwent transvaginal native tissue repair for stage ≥ II and symptomatic posterior vaginal wall prolapse between January 2018 and June 2021. Anatomical and functional outcomes were evaluated. Wexner constipation score was used to assess bowel symptoms, while the Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) score was used to evaluate subjective satisfaction after surgery. Results: Twenty-eight patients were included in the analysis. The median age was 64.5 years, and half of them underwent a previous hysterectomy for benign reasons. The median follow-up time was 33.5 months. A significant anatomical improvement in the posterior compartment was noticed compared with preoperative assessment (p < 0.001 for Ap and Bp), with only two (7.1%) anatomical recurrences. Additionally, obstructed defecation symptoms decreased significantly compared to baseline (p < 0.001), as well as vaginal bulging, with no new-onset cases of fecal incontinence or de novo dyspareunia. PGI-I resulted in 89.2% of patients being satisfied (PGI-I ≥ 2), with a median score of 1.5. Conclusions: Transvaginal native tissue repair for isolated posterior prolapse is safe and effective in managing bowel symptoms, with excellent anatomical and functional outcomes and satisfactory improvement in patients’ quality of life.