DR. WALTERS: The main indications for mesh-augmented prolapse repair are recurrent posthysterectomy vaginal vault prolapse, for which I usually perform ASC, and recurrent cystocele or anteriorapical prolapse, for which I use one of the anterior mesh kits.
I still think sutured repairs—by that, I mean uterosacral ligament or sacrospinous colpopexy with sutured rectocele repair—work best for recurrent posterior wall and posteriorapical prolapse. I don’t use mesh augmentation for rectocele.
The main contraindication to mesh augmentation, as I see it, is a history of mesh complications. If I am repairing a mesh complication such as erosion or pain, I do not place another mesh.
Medical issues that might increase mesh complications, such as diabetes, steroid use, or severe vaginal atrophy, would, at the very least, make me consider carefully whether mesh augmentation is appropriate. The literature is not clear on this, so mesh could still be used if the surgeon thinks it is necessary.
DR. KARRAM: I haven’t found a definitive indication for mesh augmentation. We have used biologic meshes empirically, but I am not convinced that they really add long-term durability, regardless of whether they are used in the anterior or posterior vaginal segment.
Our published durability rate for traditional suture-type repairs is in the range of 85% at 5 years out.6 Even if I assumed that mesh would give me 100% 5-year durability, this rate would have to be at the expense of some erosion, pain, and other complications unique to mesh. I do not think that the potential improvement in durability is worth these potential complications.
FIGURE 1 When the pelvic support system is intact, prolapse is rare
In the normal pelvis, organs are supported by a complex web of muscles, fascia, and connective tissue.
FIGURE 2 Mesh augmentation seeks to enhance the durability of repair
One type of mesh in final position. Mesh-augmented repair restores the vaginal apex and lends support to the walls of the vagina.
DR. KARRAM: If you are doing a lot of mesh repairs, you are obviously content with the results and feel that the few complications you are seeing are outweighed by the advantages mesh confers. How do you avoid extrusion and avert creation of a painful vagina?
DR. RAZ: Most of our cases are recurrent prolapse after failed vaginal or abdominal repair. I am indeed using a significant amount of soft polypropylene mesh for reconstructive procedures. As with the use of any other synthetic material, low-grade infection can develop after a few weeks or months. I use copious irrigation with antibiotic solution during reconstruction.
To avoid extrusion, I perform deep, rather than superficial, dissection of the vaginal wall to allow for better coverage of the mesh. For posterior mesh reconstruction, I cover the mesh with pararectal fascia to prevent erosion.
For mesh-augmented procedures, I cut the mesh myself in the operating room ( FIGURE 3 ). For a sling, I use a 10 cm × 1 cm soft polypropylene mesh. For a grade 3 or 4 cystocele, I use a trapezoid of soft polypropylene mesh with several points of fixation:
- at the sacrouterine ligament
- lateral to the obturator fascia
- distal to the bladder neck.
I always repair the vault at the same time.
For vault prolapse, I use a segment of soft polypropylene mesh in the shape of an apron with two arms (1 cm × 4 cm) and a central segment (4 cm × 7 cm). I support the vault using number 1-0 delayed absorbable suture and mesh. From outside the vaginal wall, in the posterolateral deep vaginal wall (inside the peritoneum), I incorporate the origin of the sacrouterine ligament and one arm of the mesh in the groove between the colon and levator ani, 15 cm from the introitus. I bring the suture 1 cm from the original entrance. A separate set of sutures brings the perirectal fascia together with the sacrouterine ligaments and perivesical fascia to close the peritoneal cavity. I tie the vault-suspension sutures, providing support to the cuff in a high posterior position (12 to 15 cm from the introitus).
In selected cases of significant recurrent rectocele, I use a rectangle of soft polypropylene mesh anchored to the origin of the sacrouterine ligament and distal to the perineal membrane. The mesh is covered by the pararectal fascia.
We have not seen vaginal, urethral, or bladder erosion in 1,800 cases of our distal urethral Prolene sling procedure using 10 cm × 1 cm soft mesh. In patients who have significant cystocele, vault prolapse, and recurrent rectocele, our vaginal erosion rate is 3%. We have never encountered rectal, bladder, or bowel perforation using our technique.