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Follow-up after radical vaginal trachelectomy (RVT): patients’ problems and physicians’ difficulties

  • Gynecologic Oncology
  • Published:
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Patients after radical vaginal trachelectomy (RVT) need specific follow-up treatment because their problems differ from those of other gyneco-oncologic patients. Anatomic changes after surgery complicate examinations. Recognition and treatment of these issues require physician’s expertise.

Patients and methods

We evaluated the follow-up data of 70 patients who underwent RVT for early cervical cancer between 03/2010 and 12/2013. The follow-up interval in the first 2 years was 3 and 6 months in the following 2 years. We used a tailored protocol to describe the special problems after RVT.

Results

Cervical stenosis was one of the central problems independent of time interval to RVT. Physicians’ most significant problem was to locate the exact position of the neo-cervix and thus to receive valid pap smears.

Conclusions

Follow-up of patients after RVT needs special expertise because the symptoms differ from those after hysterectomy and examinations ensuring oncologic safety require special attention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gynecology, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany

    Dorothee Speiser, Shazia Malik, Malgorzata Lanowska, Anne Bartens, Jens-Uwe Blohmer & Mandy Mangler

Authors
  1. Dorothee Speiser
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  2. Shazia Malik
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  3. Malgorzata Lanowska
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  4. Anne Bartens
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  5. Jens-Uwe Blohmer
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  6. Mandy Mangler
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Contributions

DS: Project development, Data collection, Data management, Data analysis, Supervision and Manuscript writing and editing. SM: Data management, Data analysis. ML: Support in project conception, Data collection and Manuscript editing. AB: Data collection and Manuscript editing. JUB: Supporting project development and Manuscript editing. MM: Supporting project development, Data collection, Data analysis and Manuscript editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dorothee Speiser.

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Funding

No specific funding was obtained.

Conflict of interest

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Speiser, D., Malik, S., Lanowska, M. et al. Follow-up after radical vaginal trachelectomy (RVT): patients’ problems and physicians’ difficulties. Arch Gynecol Obstet 296, 559–564 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-017-4463-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-017-4463-0

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