Impact of Tunneling During Minimally Invasive Sacrocolpopexy

Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when the uterus or vaginal walls bulge into or beyond the vaginal introitus. Abdominal sacrocolpopexy is the most durable operation for advanced pelvic organ prolapse and serves as the criterion standard against which other operations are compared. Abdominal sacrocolpopexy involves attaching the vaginal apex to the sacral anterior longitudinal ligament reinforced with a graft, usually synthetic mesh. More than 225.000 surgeries are performed annually in the United States for pelvic organ prolapse. Abdominal sacrocolpopexy is considered the most durable pelvic organ prolapse surgery, but little is known about safety and long-term effectiveness. Purpose of this study is to compare effect of tunneling or non-tunneling mesh placement on lower urinary tract symptoms and bowel symptoms in patients who underwent surgery with laparoscopic or robot-assisted sacrocolpopexy which is accepted surgical procedures for pelvic organ prolapse.