Abdominal sacral colpopexy in 163 women with posthysterectomy vaginal vault prolapse and enterocele. Evolution of operative techniques.

Abdominal sacral colpopexy with retroperitoneal interposition of a suspensory hammock between a prolapsed vaginal vault and the anterior surface of the sacrum was performed on 163 women for correction of vaginal vault prolapse during 18 consecutive years, from 1972 through 1989. Hysterectomy had previously been performed on 160 of the patients, 2 patients had congenital absence of the uterus, and 1 patient underwent vaginal hysterectomy at the time of the sacral colpopexy. The patients had been followed for 9 months to 18 years at this writing, with a median follow-up of 33 months. An additional 25 patients underwent successful sacral colpopexy since the end of the study period, but those data are not included here. Modifications of surgical techniques have evolved from our experience.