Advanced uterovaginal prolapse: is vaginal hysterectomy with McCall culdoplasty as effective as in lesser degrees of prolapse?

There is a paucity of data on the success of vaginal surgery for severe prolapse. The authors hypothesized that the success rates of total vaginal hysterectomy (TVH) with McCall culdoplasty in women with advanced pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and in women with less severe POP are similar. This was a retrospective review of women undergoing TVH with McCall culdoplasty from 2005 to 2014. Advanced POP was defined as exteriorized uterovaginal prolapse with Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) point C, Ba or Bp 50% of the total vaginal length. The primary aim was to compare surgical success of TVH with McCall culdoplasty for the repair of advanced POP and less severe POP at 1 year. A total of 311 women were included, 38 with advanced POP and 273 with less severe POP. Women with advanced POP were older (71.6 vs. 61.8 years, respectively; p < 0.0001), but there were no significant differences in the length of follow-up (102.5 vs. 117 weeks, p = 0.2378), success rates (76.3% vs. 68.5%, p = 0.3553) or reoperation rates (2.6% vs. 4%, p > 0.9999) between women with advanced POP and less severe POP, respectively. There was a higher failure rate in the anterior compartment in those with advanced POP (18.4% vs. 6.2%, p = 0.0168), but not in the apical or posterior compartment. TVH with McCall culdoplasty is equally effective for the treatment of advanced uterovaginal prolapse as for the treatment of less severe POP. Surgeons should consider this traditional surgery for their patients even if they have high-stage uterovaginal prolapse.