2021 Volume 17 Issue 1 Pages 86-91
[Purpose] This study aimed to compare the clinical progress of pelvic organ prolapse patients who underwent treatment selected at the initial examination with that treatment selected at the end of outpatient visits.
[Methods] A retrospective observation study was conducted at the Department of Urology, University of Yamanashi Hospital. The subjects were 54 pelvic organ prolapse patients with a mean age of 74.2 years, and were diagnosed at the Urology Outpatient Department between January 2018 and March 2019. The patients’ backgrounds, pelvic symptoms, objective diagnosis, purpose of the examination, and clinical progress of the treatment were collected and analyzed at their initial visit and again at the end of the research period.
[Results] The most common symptoms at the initial examination was a drooping feeling, followed by complaints of a feeling of protrusion, hesitancy, and urinary incontinence. Forty-one of the patients desired surgery; the remaining twelve desired detailed treatment and conservative therapy which included ① surgery, ② pelvic floor muscle training, ③ pelvic floor supporter, and ④ pessary. The conservative therapy included procedures that combine ②–④ in accordance with the state of the organ prolapse and activities of daily living of the patients. The procedures resulted in a decrease in the number of patients who opted for surgery, but an increase in the number of those who opted for conservative therapy at the end of the outpatient visits.
[Discussion] The number of patients who selected surgery as the first choice in the initial examination was high, but at the end of the outpatient visits, the number of those who chose conservative therapy was higher. The elderly patients with improved symptoms, such as alleviation of the drooping feeling due to conservative therapy were satisfied with the conservative therapy, leading to a decrease in the surgical patients.
Pelvic organ prolapse is a quality-of-life-related disease, and treatment must be selected in accordance with the patient’s lifestyle and sense of value.
