Eleonora Russo

Pelvic floor dysfunctions (PFD) in women result from genetic and acquired factors such as pregnancy, aging, and menopause. Despite their high prevalence, PFD during midlife remain underdiagnosed and undertreated. PFD include urinary incontinence, prolapse, sexual dysfunction, and recurrent urinary tract infections, all of which significantly impair quality of life and require targeted evaluation and treatment. This review examines how menopause and aging contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction through estrogen deficiency, muscle atrophy, and reduced collagen, resulting in urinary incontinence, prolapse, overactive bladder, and increased susceptibility to urinary infection. A detailed overview of clinical assessment is provided, including clinical assessment and an analysis of the various management and treatment options. A literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library for studies published up to 1 March 2025, using keywords related to menopause, aging, pelvic floor disorders, and genitourinary symptoms. PFD in postmenopausal women are chronic, progressive conditions that benefit from early identification, and a multidisciplinary approach. Future management will rely increasingly on AI-driven diagnostic tools, personalized therapies using genomics and hormonal profiling, greater public awareness, and expanded access through telemedicine and digital tools, ultimately improving outcomes and reducing stigma.

Background: Abdominal minimally invasive surgery has become increasingly prominent for the treatment of prolapse. Abdominal sacral colpopexy (ASC) is the gold standard for the treatment of advanced apical prolapse; however, alternative surgical approaches such as the abdominal lateral suspension (ALS) have been developed to improve patient outcomes. This study aims to determine whether ALS improves outcomes compared to ASC in multicompartmental prolapse patients. Methods: A prospective, open-label, multicenter, non-inferiority trial was conducted in 360 patients who underwent ASC or ALS for the treatment of apical prolapse. The primary outcome was anatomical and symptomatic cure of the apical compartment at 1-year follow-up; secondary outcomes included prolapse recurrence, re-operation rate, and post-operative complications. A 300-patient cohort was subdivided into 200-patients who underwent ALS and 100-patients who underwent ASC. The confidence interval method was used to calculate the p-value of non-inferiority. Results: At the 12-months follow-up, the objective cure rate of the apical defect was 92% for ALS and 94% for ASC (recurrence rates were 8% and 6%, respectively, and the p-value for non-inferiority was <0.01). The mMesh complication rates were 1% and 2% for ALS and ASC, respectively. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the ALS technique is not inferior to the gold standard ASC for the surgical treatment of apical prolapse.

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a complex and multifactorial syndrome associated with urinary frequency, urgency and incontinence. The menopause-associated hormonal changes play a role in the developme...

Background: Simulation in laparoscopic surgery is nowadays recognized as a valid instrument for learning and training surgeons in different procedures. However, its role as evaluation test and self-assessment tool to verify basic surgical skills is still under discussion. Methods: Thirty-three residents in obstetrics and gynecology at University of Pisa, Italy were recruited, and they received a simulation program consisting of 5 tasks. They had to perform basic laparoscopic surgery maneuvers as creating pneumoperitoneum, positioning trocars under vision, demonstrating the appropriate use of dominant and non-dominant hand and making single stitch and knot. They were evaluated with a modified OSATs scale. Results: Senior trainees had better score than junior trainees (p value< 0,005) and after different sessions of simulation scores of both groups significantly improved (p < 0,001), especially for the junior group. All the trainees reported self-assessments that matched with the evaluation of external observers demonstrating the importance of simulation also as auto-evaluation test. Conclusions: In this study, we demonstrated the role of simulation as powerful tool to evaluate and to self-assess surgical technical skills and to improve own capacities, with the use of a modified OSATs scale adapted to specific exercises.

Introduction and hypothesis Robotic abdominal lateral suspension (RALS) is an innovative mini-invasive surgical technique that allows treating apical and anterior prolapse. The safety and efficacy of this strategy have not yet been tested. Methods We completed a prospective case series of 115 RALS to treat apical and anterior prolapse stage III or IV, with no or minimal (stage I) posterior defect. Clinical evaluation was performed with a simplified POP quantification system (POP-Q). Mean follow-up was 28 ± 4 months. Primary outcomes were objective and subjective cure; secondary outcomes were reoperation rate for recurrence, erosion rate and complications. Objective cure was defined as POP-Q ≤ 1. Subjective cure was defined as absence of vaginal bulge. Patient’s satisfaction was measured using the Patient Global Impression of Improvement Scale (PGI-I). Results There was a significant improvement in POP-Q score in all treated compartments with an objective cure rate of 88.7% for the anterior and 93.1% for the apical compartment (p < 0.0001). Subjective cure rate was 82%. The emergence of de novo high rectoceles was not significant in the cohort, as much as the development of de novo stress or urge urinary incontinence. Reoperation rate for POP was 11.3% (8 recurrent cystoceles without apical descent and 5 apical and anterior relapses). No postoperative complications of Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ 3a were seen. Mesh exposure rate was 0.9%; 58.2% patients compiled a PGI-I score at 18–24 months post-surgery, reporting high satisfaction rates. Conclusions RALS is highly effective at a mid-term follow-up for the treatment of advanced apical and anterior POP.

Over the past two decades, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) abdominal surgery has increasingly been used to treat pelvic organ prolapse. Besides the several advantages associated with minimal invasiveness, this approach bridged the gap between the benefits of vaginal surgery and the surgical success rates of open abdominal procedures. The most commonly performed procedure for suspension of the vaginal apex for postoperative vaginal prolapse by robotic-assisted laparoscopy is the sacrocolpopexy. Conventional laparoscopic application of this procedure was first reported in 1994 by Nezhat et al. and had not gained widespread adoption due to lengthy learning curve associated with laparoscopic suturing. Since FDA approval of the da Vinci (R) robot for gynecologic surgery in 2005, minimally invasive abdominal surgery for pelvic organ prolapse has become increasingly popular, as robotic-assisted laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy is an option for those surgeons without experience or training in the conventional route. Robotic surgery has made its way into the armamentarium of POP treatment and has allowed pelvic surgeons to adapt the "gold standard" technique of abdominal sacrocolpopexy to a minimally invasive approach with improved intraoperative morbidity and decreased convalescence. In fact, repair of pelvic organ prolapse can be performed robotically, and sometimes surgeons can feel suturing and dissection during the procedures less challenging with the assistance of the robot. However, even if robotic surgery may confer many benefits over conventional laparoscopy, these advantages should continue to be weighed against the cost of the technology. To date, as long-term outcomes, evidence about robotic sacrocolpopexy for a repair of pelvic organ prolapse are not conclusive, and much more investigations are needed to evaluate subjective and objective outcomes, perioperative and postoperative adverse events, and costs associated with these procedures. It is plausible to think that the main advantage is that robotics may lead to a widespread adoption of minimally invasive techniques in the field of pelvic floor reconstructive surgery. The following review will address the development and current state of robotic assistance in treating pelvic floor reconstruction discussing available data about the techniques of robotic prolapse repair as well as morbidity, costs and clinical outcomes.

Pelvic floor dysfunctions are a complex condition in elderly women; pelvic organ prolapse, urinary or fecal incontinence, constipation, pelvic pain, and sexual dysfunction are common problems. The goal of surgical treatment is functional reconstruction with symptom management and repair of anatomic defects. The recent advancements in surgical treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction allow several good options for choosing the best surgery for each patient. The vaginal procedure is traditionally the gold standard approach for elderly patients, but abdominal surgery is increasing as a mini-invasive approach and the robotic approach is gaining acceptance for treatment of pelvic floor dysfunctions. In elderly individuals, a multitude of factors affects the final result of any reconstructive surgery such as postmenopausal or aging-associated changes in muscle tone and nerve function or changes in the function of the bladder or of the rectum: an understanding of the underlining functional status of pelvic organs is very important in aging women before proceeding to surgery. In this context, pelvic floor dysfunction, particularly in elderly women, should be addressed in a multidisciplinary manner and, at the forefront, centers for surgical planning could be helpful to perform safer, patient-tailored surgery.