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Etiology, Diagnosis, and Management of Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Overview

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Female Genitourinary and Pelvic Floor Reconstruction

Abstract

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common condition that adversely impacts quality of life for women. The etiology of POP is multifactorial but risk factors for development include higher parity, history of vaginal delivery, older age, and higher body mass index. POP can occur in younger women, but peak incidence of symptoms is in women aged 70–79. Symptoms include vaginal bulge and pressure, voiding dysfunction, defecatory dysfunction, and/or sexual dysfunction. POP is measured with the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) system and can be assigned an ordinal stage to guide evaluation and management. Management of POP is varied. Asymptomatic POP does not require treatment and mild POP can be managed with conservative treatment including pessaries and pelvic floor exercises. Symptomatic or advanced POP can be treated with surgical intervention, which can be transvaginal or transabdominal, obliterative, open, laparoscopic, or robotic and may involve use of biologic or synthetic grafts.

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Wang, C.N., Chung, D.E. (2023). Etiology, Diagnosis, and Management of Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Overview. In: Martins, F.E., Holm, H.V., Sandhu, J., McCammon, K.A. (eds) Female Genitourinary and Pelvic Floor Reconstruction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71112-2_29-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71112-2_29-1

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