Suturing Techniques on Perineal Pain

Perineal Pain

Perineorrhaphy, sometimes referred to as perineoplasty, is a common procedure in pelvic reconstructive surgery that entails surgical repair of the perineum. Indications may include: prevention of recurrent prolapse, treatment of pain, and improved sexual function and cosmesis, as well as to treat the sensation of a wide vagina. Differences in postoperative pain by suturing technique and standard use of suture type are not well established. Patient satisfaction can be influenced by patient perceptions regarding postoperative pain, therefore reducing postoperative pain scores remains a priority. It is unclear whether suturing technique is associated with less pain after this procedure. Based on studies on repair of obstetric lacerations, we hypothesize that a subcuticular skin closure will be associated with less postoperative perineal pain compared to interrupted transcutaneous sutures.

Recruitment will be carried out at OU Medical Center within a 12-month period either at OU Women's Pelvic and Bladder Health Clinic or OU Women's Health Clinic. Women who are planning pelvic organ prolapse repair and who are found to have genital hiatus of ≥4 cm on the pelvic organ prolapse quantification exam will be approached for study inclusion. A 4-cm or greater dimension of genital hiatus is associated with greater risk of prolapse recurrence, and researchers anticipate patients with this measurement prior to surgery will require a perineorrhaphy. These surgeries will be performed by one of two board certified female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery specialists. Given the nature of the suturing techniques, it would be impossible to blind the study to both the investigators and the participants. Randomization will be completed prior to the procedure and contained within opaque sealed envelopes until a decision is made to proceed with a perineorrhaphy intraoperatively. To standardize the procedure, an instructional video will be made to describe the subcuticular and transcutaneous interrupted techniques. This will serve as reference for investigators to adhere to the standard procedure. An educational webinar will be performed at the onset of the study and this instructional video will be available for review at any additional point during the study. Participants will be asked to complete a baseline SPS questionnaire prior to surgery. Perineorrhaphy will be carried out in our standard fashion and finalized with interrupted stitches of delayed absorbable monofilament sutures for reconstruction of the perineal body. The perineal skin closure will be randomized to continuous subcuticular or interrupted transcutaneous stitches of 3-0 polyglactin-910 (Vicryl). Researchers will follow the standard Enhanced Recovery After Anesthesia (ERAS) protocol for postoperative oral analgesia. Participants will be asked to complete daily SPS questionnaires in the first two weeks postoperatively. Patients are routinely scheduled for a 2- week and 3- month postoperative visit. Participants will complete a questionnaire to assess pain (SPS) and patient satisfaction at both visits. A pelvic exam is not routinely performed at the 2-week visit unless indicated otherwise by patient or provider concerns. At the 3-month postoperative visit, a sexual function questionnaire and a pelvic exam will be completed in addition to the pain and patient satisfaction survey. These surveys can be administered in person or remotely (by telephone or virtually), depending on the nature of the postoperative visits.

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