Objective: The purpose of this study was to measure the rate of reoperation for surgically treated pelvic organ prolapse.
Study design: An 11-year retrospective audit was conducted of women who had undergone surgery for pelvic organ prolapse between 1995 and 2005 in a large teaching hospital in the UK. Main outcome measure Variables examined included the type of primary procedure for pelvic organ prolapse overall and per year, the type of the repeat procedure and the interval between primary and repeat procedures. Analysis included calculation of the number and proportion of primary operations, the rate of reoperation, the type of repeat prolapse operation and the cumulative risk of reoperation each year for 11 years.
Results: During the study period, 2099 women underwent surgery for pelvic organ prolapse. Of these women, 142 underwent a second operation for prolapse and 13 a third. The overall cumulative rate of reoperation following surgery for pelvic organ prolapse was 10.8% at 11 years following the initial procedure. The majority (61.5%) of repeat procedures did not involve the same compartment as the initial operation and recurrences tended to occur in the first few years after the first operation.
Conclusion: Women who undergo surgery for pelvic organ prolapse are at 10.8% risk of requiring a reoperation within the next 11 years, usually at a different site.