Safety of Laparoscopic Ventral Rectopexy in the Elderly: Results From a Nationwide Database

BACKGROUND:Laparoscopic ventral rectopexy is an established procedure in the treatment of posterior pelvic organ prolapse. It is still unclear whether this procedure can be performed safely in the elderly. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to assess the effects of age on the outcome of laparoscopic ventral rectopexy performed for patients with pelvic organ prolapse. DESIGN:This study was a retrospective cohort analysis with data from a national registry. SETTINGS:The study was conducted in a tertiary care setting. PATIENTS:Patients undergoing laparoscopic ventral rectopexy were identified from discharge summaries. Patients were stratified according to age, including patients 70 years old (mean age, 76.2 ± 5.0 years). Main diagnoses were vaginal vault prolapse (53.0% [group A] vs 47.0% [group B]; p value not significant) and rectal prolapse (17.7 vs 26.8%; p value not significant). Comorbidity was significantly increased in group B (mean length of stay, 5.6 ± 3.6 vs 4.7 ± 1.8 days; p < 0.001) and minor complications (8.4% vs 5.0%; p < 0.001) were significantly increased in group B, whereas major complications were not different (group A, 0.7%; group B, 0.9%; p = 0.40) after univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis found no significant differences between groups. The subgroup analysis of patients >80 years old (n = 299) showed no differences. Each group had 1 postoperative mortality. LIMITATIONS:Limitations of the study include its retrospective design, lack of prestudy power calculation, possible inaccuracy of an administrative database, and selection bias. CONCLUSIONS:Laparoscopic ventral rectopexy appears to be safe in select elderly patients.