Rate of vaginal complications after cystectomy higher than expected: Study

USA: Over 20% of women who undergo cystectomy experience a vaginal complication, and this rate is higher than expected, reveals a recent study published in the Journal of Urology. 

Cystectomy with a vaginal-sparing approach may be linked with unique complications peculiar to females. Lee A. Richter, MedStar/Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, and colleagues conducted the study with an objective to estimate the rate of vaginal complications (defined to include vaginal fistula, vaginal prolapse, dyspareunia, and vaginal cuff dehiscence/evisceration) following cystectomy and to determine the risk factors for these complications. 

For this purpose, the researchers identified women aged 65 years or older undergoing cystectomy for any indication by procedural codes in the Medicare Limited Data Set 5% sample between January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2017. Comparisons were made between patients experiencing a vaginal complication after cystectomy to those who did not. They identified biological and demographic factors that could increase the likelihood of complications and determined the time to development of complications.