Hegde's Modification of Fothergill Surgery for Cervical Elongation: A 7-Year Retrospective Review

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Hegde's modification of Fothergill surgery, an innovative procedure for cervical elongation (CE), and to report perioperative challenges and follow-up.

Methods: This is a retrospective review of data from 12 patients who underwent successful repair of CE by Hegde's modification of Fothergill surgery from June 2012 to May 2019. Primary outcomes were cervical viability and stenosis. Secondary outcomes were perioperative complications, Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification system (POP-Q) measurement and staging, recurrence, conception rates, and World Health Organization Quality of Life (QOL) BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) scores.

Results: All women had a viable, patent cervix at 1-month follow-up. Perioperative complications included total intraoperative blood loss (>50 mL) and febrile morbidity (both 16.7%) and urinary tract infections (8.3%). The mean reduction of point C was 5.78 cm (2.87 ± 0.13 cm to -2.91 ± 1.55 cm). Recurrence was noted in 1 patient (8.3%) who had POP-Q stage 2 prolapse at 6 and 12 months of follow-up. The conception rate was 8.3% at 12 months. All women conceived spontaneously. Mean preoperative WHOQOL-BREF scores improved in all 4 domains, with major improvement seen in the physical domain, from 24.66 ± 8.18 to 70.91 ± 11.01, 19.0 ± 6.48 to 54.92 ± 8.21, 9.33 ± 7.46 to 59.33 ± 14.33, and 19.0 ± 4.89 to 47.07 ± 7.14, for the physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains, respectively.

Conclusion: Hegde's modification of Fothergill surgery can be considered as a surgical option for the repair of isolated CE with a healthy cervix in women who desire uterine preservation with the major advantage of preventing cervical stenosis.

Keywords: World Health Organization; cervical elongation; cervical length measurement; pelvic organ prolapse; quality of life; uterine cervical diseases.