Clinical presentation of enterocele

Objective: To characterize preoperative signs and symptoms in women with an d without enteroceles. Methods: Three hundred ten women completed preoperative questionnaires and had prolapses graded according to the International Continence Society syst em. Signs and symptoms in 77 women (25%) with enteroceles confirmed at surg ery were compared with those in 233 women without enteroceles. Comparisons were tested for statistical significance with chi(2) tests, Fisher exact te sts, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and analysis of covariance. Results: Women with enteroceles were statistically Significantly older (med ian 67 versus 59 years, P <.001) and more likely to be postmenopausal (88% versus 76%, P =.04). More women with enteroceles had histories of hysterect omies (76% versus 39%, P =.001) and vaginal prolapse repairs (24% versus 11 %, P =.008). Women with enteroceles had more advanced prolapses at points A p, Bp, and C (all P <.001) but not point D. There were no significant diffe rences in symptoms related to bowel function (infrequent bowel movements, s training, manual evacuation, and fecal incontinence) in women with and with out enteroceles. Women with enteroceles were more bothered by symptoms caus ed by vaginal prolapse than women without enteroceles, but not after we con trolled for stage of prolapse. Conclusion: Women with enteroceles have more advanced apical and posterior vaginal prolapses than women without enteroceles, but do not differ from th em in bowel function. (Obstet Gynecol 2000;96:599-603. (C) 2000 by The Amer ican College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.).