SURGICAL-TREATMENT OF VAGINAL PROLAPSE FO LLOWING HYSTERECTOMY

Forty-five women were treated with a sacrospinous ligament fixation of the vaginal apex between 1979 and 1993. The patients had a complete v aginal prolapse following abdominal or vaginal hysterectomy or in thre e cases a combined uterine and vaginal prolapse. The sacrospinous liga ment fixation was carried out as described by Amreich, Sederl and Rich ter. The fixation of the vagina. was successfull performed in 43 women . These results were obtained using absorbable suture material. A scia tic nerve damage was observed in two patients for a short time with sp ontaneous recovery, coincident with suture absorption and nerve regene ration. We consider and recommend fixation of the vaginal apex to the sacrospinous ligament as the technique preferred for the operative tre atment of a vaginal prolapse and for the rare cases of uterine prolaps e, which cannot be corrected otherwise.