Comparison of vaginal length after iliococcygeus fixation and sacrospinous ligament fixation

OBJECTIVE: To compare vaginal length after iliococcygeus fixation (ICF) and sacrospinous ligament fixation (SSLF). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed on patients undergoing ICF or SSLF. Sixty-seven patients were identified and, of these, only 46 had complete data sets, leaving 23 patients in either group eligible for study. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in demographic data between the 2 groups. Mean vaginal length measurements were not significantly different before and after the ICF procedure (7.7+/-0.9 cm vs 7.6+/-0.8 cm, respectively; P=0.68). However, the mean vaginal length was significantly shortened following SSLF (7.9+/-0.8 cm vs 7.1+/-1.1 cm, P=0.001). The mean vaginal lengths preoperatively (7.7+/-0.9 cm vs 7.9+/-0.8 cm, P=0.51) and postoperatively (7.6+/-0.8 cm vs 7.1+/-1.1 cm, P=0.07) were similar. CONCLUSION: Iliococcygeus fixation does not significantly shorten vaginal length at the time of vaginal vault suspension, whereas the sacrospinous ligament fixation procedure does shorten vaginal length.