Modern role of sacrospinous ligament fixation for pelvic organ prolapse surgery—A systemic review

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common condition in women. Women with POP often experience pelvic discomfort, urinary and fecal problems, sexual dysfunction, and an overall decrease in their quality of life. Surgical treatment is a feasible option if conservative management fails. Various surgical techniques have been proposed to correct POP with or without the use of graft material. Owing to recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration warnings about mesh-related complications, sacrospinous ligament fixation (SSF), as a traditional vaginal procedure, may play an important role again. To answer this question and evaluate quantitatively the efficacy of SSF in POP, we conducted a systemic review of the available data about SSF and POP. Interventions had to include SSF as a point of attachment. To eliminate confounding bias and effect modification, at least one arm must include SSF without mesh or graft. All follow-up periods were allowed. Information on the following parameters was extracted and entered into a database: study design, type of intervention, number of patients, follow-up in months, cure rate, recurrence rate, intra/postoperative complications, and/or uni/bilateral, preventive/therapeutic, or concomitant procedures. Published papers from the years 1995 to 2011 were selected for analysis.