title: Surgical management of pelvic organ prolapse and uterine descent in the Netherlands.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate current practice in the surgical treatment of uterine descent among members of the Dutch Urogynecological Society and to analyze possible trends in the surgical treatment of pelvic organ prolapse in the Netherlands during the last decade.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire, including case scenarios, was sent to the members of the Dutch Urogynecological Society. Using a nationwide registry from the Netherlands, we assessed the number and type of surgical procedures performed for pelvic organ prolapse between 1997 and 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 73%, with 161 questionnaires completed. Vaginal hysterectomy, sacrospinous hysteropexy, and the Manchester Fothergill procedure were the most frequently performed surgical interventions for uterine descent. In the case of lower stage uterine descent, uterus preservation was preferred, but in the case of higher stage there was wide variation. Two thirds of the respondents stated that in recent years they tended to save the uterus more often. The registered number of hospital admissions for uterine descent increased by 30% between 1997 and 2009 and the number of surgical procedures almost doubled. The number of vaginal hysterectomies performed because of uterine descent increased by only 15% in this period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the Netherlands, surgical policy in the case of uterine descent is very variable, with no clear preference for either hysterectomy or uterus preservation. There was a high increase in hospital admissions and pelvic organ prolapse procedures in the last decade. The number of vaginal hysterectomies performed because of uterine descent did not follow this change, which reflects a trend toward preserving the uterus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Isala klinieken, PO Box 10500, 8000 GK, Zwolle, The Netherlands. r.j.detollenaere@isala.nl
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Detollenaere
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: den Boon
authors.forename: K B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Kluivers
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Vierhout
authors.forename: H W F
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: van Eijndhoven
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D013509:Gynecologic Surgical Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006176:Gynecology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D056887:Pelvic Organ Prolapse / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D011300:Preoperative Care; D012042:Registries; D014572:Urology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014599:Uterus