vNOTES versus Laparoscopic Uterosacral Ligament Suspension for Apical Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Perioperative and Short-Term Outcomes

Vaginal Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (vNOTES) is a novel approach in gynecological surgery. This study was aimed at comparing perioperative and short-term postoperative outcomes of vNOTES versus laparoscopic approaches to uterosacral ligament suspension (USLS) for apical pelvic organ prolapse.

A retrospective cohort study included all women who underwent vNOTES versus laparoscopic USLS at two university-affiliated centers between 2017 and 2023. The relationships between variables were tested using Fisher’s exact test or t test, including a sub-analysis comparing hysterectomy and hysteropexy outcomes within the groups. Logistic regression assessed the influence of baseline factors and operative factors on the primary and main secondary outcomes of interest.

This study comprised 47 vNOTES and 54 laparoscopic USLS cases (including 11 and 15 hysteropexies respectively). Baseline demographics in the two groups were similar. There were no differences in operative outcomes and no instances of ureteral injury. The vNOTES technique allowed for the use of significantly more sutures per side (2.0 [2.0–4.0] vs 1.0 [1.0–1.0], p = 0.001). Postoperative complications within 6 weeks demonstrated no significant differences. Both groups exhibited comparable rates of baseline subjective POP symptoms (100% vs 96.2%, p = 1.00) which improved significantly at 6 weeks (4.3% vs 11.1%, p = 0.282). At 6 weeks, anatomical success was achieved by significantly more patients with vNOTES (93.5% vs 78.6%, p = 0.042). Baseline and 6-week POP symptoms in the hysterectomy and hysteropexy subgroups were similar.

Both vNOTES and laparoscopic USLS demonstrated comparable subjective success rates at 6 weeks postoperatively. The vNOTES approach demonstrated improved anatomical success at 6 weeks, but the difference was not significant after adjusting for operative factors.