Surgical treatment satisfaction in women with pelvic organ prolapse. Quantification and analysis

Hypothesis/aims of study. An integrated evaluation of the effectiveness of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) treatment in women requires a consistent interpretation of the criteria of treatment satisfaction. The aim of this study was to specify surgical treatment satisfaction in patients with POP. Study design, materials, and methods. Surgical treatment was performed in 486 patients with POP stages II–IV. In 12 months, a patient survey (using a 1-5-point scale) evaluated the level of treatment satisfaction, reasons for lowered self-reported satisfaction, and respondents’ ambivalence regarding treatment results. Results. One-year post-surgical treatment of POP stages 0–I are observed in 80.9% of patients. Full satisfaction (5 points) was self-reported by 61.1% of patients, 28.6% of patients indicated partial satisfaction (3–4 points), and 10.3% of patients indicated treatment dissatisfaction (1–2 points). Post-surgery stage of POP is weakly correlated with self-reported treatment satisfaction (r = –0.39; p < 0.0001). Most common reasons for lower self-reported satisfaction were the emergence of new issues, fear of pathology recurrence, urinary incontinence, and pain. Five patients (1.0%) indicated that their condition “became much worse” after the surgical treatment. Conclusion. The treatment satisfaction range is variable. It is necessary to consider a variety of clinical, deontological, and psychological factors in the analysis of surgical POP treatment satisfaction spectrum.