[Operative position suitable for transvaginal excision of urethral diverticulum or closure of urethrovaginal fistula].

Among the various surgeries in female urology, transvaginal excision of urethral diverticulum needs careful and meticulous procedures in order to avoid some operative complications, such as urethral stricture or urethrovaginal fistula. In the present report, we present a woman with urethral diverticulum who initially underwent transvaginal excision of diverticulum in the dorsal lithotomy position, but she was complicated with urethrovaginal fistula postoperatively. Unfortunately, we failed to repair her fistula when she underwent excision of the fistula in the dorsal lithotomy position. With reconsideration of an operative position useful for transvaginal surgery, we succeeded in fistula closure in the Jackknife prone reverse-lithotomy position, and thereafter, two subsequent patients with urethral diverticulum were successfully treated with transvaginal excision of diverticulum in this operative position. In the transvaginal approach to the peri-urethral disorders, the Jackknife prone reverse-lithotomy position was notably superior to the dorsal lithotomy position with the following advantages: (1) the surgeons can easily operate in a bright and large surgical site without any blind view. (2) the surgeons can dissect and suture safely and accurately. (3) the assistants also can help in the operation bimanually in the same view as the surgeon when the posterior vaginal wall is fixed with a retractor.