Vaginal sacrospinous fixation: experience in a district general hospital

Abstract

This is an observational retrospective study, which included 77 patients who underwent sacrospinous fixation (SSF) over a period of 3 years in a district general hospital. Casenotes were reviewed and all patients were invited to attend a further review appointment (14-49 months). The object was to determine short- and long-term success of SSF, particularly in elderly (28% were S 70 years), obese (24·7%) and medically compromised (64·9%) patients. Fifty-two patients (67·5%) had previous gynaecological procedures, while the remaining 25 (32·5%) had no previous surgery. Intra- and postoperative complications were 3·9% and 32·5%, respectively. There was considerable relief of patients' symptoms at both short- and long-term follow-up, while the rate of recurrence of vault prolapse was 10·3%. Our experience suggests that SSF appears to be a safe and effective procedure, especially for those who may constitute surgical or anaesthetic risks. It has a reasonable success rate, good postoperative recovery and acceptable long-term results.