Uterine and Pelvic Conditions · Acquired Uterine Conditions

Comparison of laparoscopic and hysteroscopic surgical treatments for isthmocele: A prospective cohort

Hosseini R, Parsaei M, Ali-Abad NR, Daliri S, Asgari Z, Valian Z, Hajiloo N, Mirzaei S, Bakhshali-Bakhtiari M

Published June 10, 2024 Turkish journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 21(2), 70-77
DOI 10.4274/tjod.galenos.2024.54006 PMID 38853455 PMC PMC11589225

RRM Academy Synopsis

Isthmocele surgery reduced abnormal bleeding with either approach

In a study of 46 women with an isthmocele (a pouch at a cesarean scar), bleeding problems fell from 35 women to 9 after surgery. Both surgeries cut them. Infertility fell significantly only after laparoscopy. Dysmenorrhea fell significantly only after hysteroscopy.

Key Findings

  • The study followed 46 women for 12 months: 22 had laparoscopic surgery and 24 had hysteroscopic surgery. All 46 attended follow-up.
  • Abnormal uterine bleeding affected 35 of 46 women (76.1%) at baseline and 9 of 46 (19.5%) at follow-up. Laparoscopy went from 15 to 3 women, hysteroscopy from 20 to 6.
  • Infertility fell from 16 of 22 women (72.7%) to 5 of 22 (22.7%) after laparoscopy. After hysteroscopy it went from 6 of 24 (25%) to 3 of 24 (12.5%), a nonsignificant change.
  • Dysmenorrhea fell from 9 of 24 women (37.5%) to 3 of 24 (12.5%) after hysteroscopy (p=0.03). After laparoscopy it went from 5 of 22 (22.7%) to 2 (9.1%), a nonsignificant change.
  • The residual myometrial thickness (the muscle left at the scar) rose by 235% after laparoscopy, a significant increase. After hysteroscopy the change was not significant.

Interpretation

This is a small, single-hospital prospective cohort. Surgeons chose the approach by scar thickness and fertility wishes, so the groups started out different. The laparoscopy group had thinner scars, larger pouches and more infertility (16 of 22 women against 6 of 24). The study has no group without surgery. Follow-up rates of bleeding, infertility and dysmenorrhea did not differ significantly between the two surgery groups. Infertility meant inability to conceive after 6 months of unprotected intercourse, and the paper reports no pregnancy or birth counts. The authors call for larger studies and randomized trials.

RRM Context

The women had symptoms the authors linked to a cesarean scar pouch, including abnormal bleeding and infertility. Restorative reproductive medicine looks for a physical cause like this and evaluates it before treatment. The study checked the scars by ultrasound. It reports no check of the women's partners.

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the clinical outcomes of laparoscopic and hysteroscopic surgical approaches for treating symptomatic isthmocele and identify their associated factors.

Materials and Methods

Forty-six patients with symptomatic isthmocele diagnosed using transvaginal saline infusion sonohysterography were enrolled in this prospective cohort study. Patients underwent either laparoscopic or hysteroscopic isthmoplasty based on their residual myometrial thicknesses and fertility desires and were subsequently followed by clinical and ultrasonographic examinations.

Results

Twenty-two patients underwent laparoscopy and 24 underwent hysteroscopic surgery. At baseline, there was no significant difference in the mean age and years since the last cesarean section between the two groups. However, the hysteroscopy group had a higher mean parity and previous cesarean sections (p=0.00, 0.03). The most common symptoms were abnormal uterine bleeding, infertility, and dysmenorrhea. The mean baseline residual myometrial thickness was significantly higher in the laparoscopy group (p=0.00), and only laparoscopic surgery led to a significant increase in residual myometrial thickness in patients (p=0.00). Both procedures significantly reduced abnormal uterine bleeding (p=0.00), but only laparoscopy reduced infertility (p=0.00) and hysteroscopy reduced dysmenorrhea (p=0.03). Hysteroscopy showed better symptom resolution in younger patients (p=0.01), whereas age did not affect laparoscopy outcomes.

Conclusion

Both approaches showed similar effectiveness in resolving abnormal uterine bleeding, with laparoscopy excelling in infertility resolution and hysteroscopy excelling in dysmenorrhea resolution.

Amaç

Bu çalışmanın amacı semptomatik istmosel tedavisinde laparoskopik ve histeroskopik cerrahi yaklaşımların klinik sonuçlarını değerlendirmek ve ilişkili faktörleri belirlemektir.

Gereç ve Yöntemler

Bu prospektif kohort çalışmasına transvajinal salin infüzyon sonohisterografi kullanılarak semptomatik istmosel tanısı konan 46 hasta dahil edildi. Hastalara rezidüel miyometrial kalınlık ve doğurganlık isteklerine göre laparoskopik veya histeroskopik istmoplasti uygulandı ve ardından hastalar klinik ve ultrasonografik muayenelerle takip edildi.

Bulgular

Yirmi iki hastaya laparoskopi, yirmi dört hastaya ise histeroskopik cerrahi uygulandı. Başlangıçta, iki grup arasında ortalama yaş ve son sezaryenden bu yana geçen yıllar açısından anlamlı bir fark yoktu. Ancak histeroskopi grubunda ortalama parite ve önceki sezaryenlerin sayısı daha yüksekti (p=0,00, 0,03). En sık görülen semptomlar anormal uterin kanama, kısırlık ve dismenore idi. Başlangıçtaki ortalama rezidüel miyometrial kalınlık laparoskopi grubunda anlamlı derecede yüksekti (p=0,00) ve yalnızca laparoskopik cerrahi hastalarda anlamlı rezidüel miyometrial kalınlık artışına yol açtı (p=0,00). Her iki prosedür de anormal uterin kanamayı önemli ölçüde azalttı (p=0,00), ancak yalnızca laparoskopi kısırlığı azalttı (p=0,00) ve histeroskopi dismenoreyi azalttı (p=0,03). Histeroskopi genç hastalarda semptomlarda daha fazla düzelme sağladı (p=0,01), yaş ise laparoskopi sonuçlarını etkilemedi.

Sonuç

Her iki yaklaşım da anormal uterin kanamanın çözümünde benzer etkinlik göstermiştir; laparoskopi kısırlığın çözümünde ve histeroskopi dismenorenin çözümünde üstündür.

Topics

Related research

Uterine and Pelvic Conditions › Acquired Uterine Conditions › Cesarean Scar Defect · Reproductive Surgery › Uterine Surgery › Cesarean Scar Repair · Infertility › Uterine Factor › Uterine Anomalies
Reyhane Hosseini, Mohammadamin Parsaei, Nahid Rezaei Ali-Abad, Sepand Daliri, Zahra Asgari, Zahra Valian, Nasrin Hajiloo, Samira Mirzaei, Mina Bakhshali-Bakhtiari
R Hosseini, M Parsaei, N Ali-Abad, S Daliri, Z Asgari, Z Valian, N Hajiloo, S Mirzaei, M Bakhshali-Bakhtiari
PMID 38853455 38853455 DOI 10.4274/tjod.galenos.2024.54006 10.4274/tjod.galenos.2024.54006 Hosseini et al. 2024, Hosseini 2024