Long-term Outcome and Satisfaction to Surgery after Vaginal Hysterectomy

Purpose: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common condition that can severely impact the quality of a woman’s life. POP will generally get worse in time and is likely to become more common, as the population ages in the coming years. Epidemiologic studies point to vaginal childbirth delivery as the strongest risk factor, although the etiology is multifactorial. The annual incidence of posthysterectomy vaginal prolapse that requires surgery has been estimated to be 36 per 10 000 persons globally.
Methodology: This study was a retrospective analysis in which we evaluated long-term anatomical results and quality of life after vaginal hysterectomy. 43 patients out of 98 who underwent vaginal hysterectomy between the years 1990 and 1996 in the Länsi-Pohja Central Hospital in Finland were examined and interviewed for the study.
Results: 33% of examined patients presented cystocele or rectocele at the time of study (on average 17.6 years post operation). Seven of them had already been operated. No vaginal vault prolapse was observed. As for quality of life 72 % of patients reported lower urinary tract symptoms, namely urgency, but only 9% felt sensation of prolapse, while 53 % of sexually active patients complained dyspareunia.
Conclusion: In this article we present unique long-term follow-up after vaginal hysterectomy. This is a first article presenting over 15 year follow-up after vaginal hysterectomy.