title: Do pessaries prevent the progression of pelvic organ prolapse?
abstract: Pessaries are used for the management of pelvic organ prolapse, but it is unknown whether a pessary will prevent progression of this condition. The purpose of this study was to describe the course of pelvic organ prolapse among women using a pessary for at least 1 year. Among 56 consecutive women fitted with a pessary, 19 (33.9%) continued its use under our care for at least 1 year. We compared baseline and follow-up examinations, using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantitation examination system. At baseline, 16 (84.2%) had stage 3 or 4 prolapse. After 1 year we observed a significant improvement in the stage of disease ( P = 0.045, Wilcoxon signed rank test). Four women (21.1%, 95% confidence interval -0.2, 43.7%) had an improvement in stage. No women had worsening in stage of prolapse. These data suggest that there may be a therapeutic effect associated with the use of a supportive pessary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA. vhadal@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Handa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010570:Pessaries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014596:Uterine Prolapse / Q000517:prevention & control*