Urinary Function after Surgery for Deep Endometriosis: A Prospective Study

Study Objective: To compare urinary function before and after surgery in patients undergoing laparoscopy for deep endometriosis and to measure the rate of postoperative deterioration in urinary function after surgery. Design: Prospective questionnaire-based observational cohort study. Setting: Tertiary university-affiliated hospital. Patients: Included were 149 women who underwent surgery for deep endometriosis. Interventions: Participants completed the international consultation on incontinence female lower urinary tract symptoms long-form questionnaire before surgery and 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery. Measurements and Main Results: Bladder filling, voiding, and urinary incontinence summary scores were compared before and after surgery with mixed-effects linear regression analysis (correlated observations). Individual domains comprising the summary scores and their bother scores were also compared before and after surgery. Filling score at 6 weeks (3.7 +/- 2.6), 6 months (3.2 +/- 2.2), and 12 months (3.4 +/- 2.2) improved from presurgery scores (4.2 +/- 2.6) (p-value for the difference between before and after surgery: p <.001, p =.009, and p =.02 for 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months, respectively). No change was observed after surgery in bladder voiding score. Incontinence score improved at 6 weeks after surgery (presurgery and 6-week scores: 2.5 +/- 3.3 and 1.6 +/- 2.2, respectively, p <. 001) but not thereafter. Patients with low preoperative summary scores had higher summary scores (worse function) after surgery, and patients with high preoperative scores had lower summary scores (improved function) after surgery. Conclusion: Urinary function improved after laparoscopy for deep endometriosis. Greatest improvement was found in patients with worse preoperative function, whereas postoperative deterioration in urinary function was found for patients with initially normal function. More research is needed to better identify the subpopulations in whom surgical intervention provides symptomatic benefit or deterioration. (C) 2021 AAGL. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The objective of this study was to compare urinary function before and after laparoscopic surgery in patients with deep endometriosis and to measure the rate of postoperative deterioration in urinary function. The results showed that bladder filling score improved after surgery, while voiding score remained unchanged. Incontinence score improved at 6 weeks after surgery but not thereafter. Patients with worse preoperative function had higher scores after surgery, while patients with initially normal function had lower scores. These findings suggest that laparoscopic surgery can improve urinary function in patients with deep endometriosis.