Rokitansky Syndrome or Cervicovaginal Atresia?

STUDY

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the possibility of conservative management of rudimentary uterine horns associated with vaginal agenesis.

DESIGN

Observational study on cohort of consecutive cases treated with the same criteria from 2008 to 2021.

SETTING

Two academic institutions and teaching hospitals in Milan, Italy.

PATIENTS: Eight patients with vaginal agenesis associated with rudimentary cavitated uterine horns treated by the same team and postoperatively followed.

INTERVENTIONS: All the subjects underwent the same standardized surgical procedure: laparoscopy, intraoperative ultrasound, and horn-vestibular direct anastomosis. Postoperatively vaginoscopy was performed every 6 months.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN

RESULTS

The postoperative course was generally uneventful and the mean hospital stay was 4.3 ± 2.5 (SD) days. All the patients began to menstruate a few months after the operation. Menstrual flows were light but regular. All patients had a neovaginal length > 4 cm at 1 year postoperatively, reaching approximately 6 cm at 2 years. During the follow-up period, 5 patients were sexually active without dyspareunia. In all cases, surgery restored the continuity of the neovagina and uterine horn through the creation of a "vaginal-horn fistula tract."

CONCLUSION

In patients with vaginal agenesis associated with the presence of a uterine cavitary horn, it is possible to recover not only sexual activity but also menstrual function. The horn-vestibular anastomosis may be considered a valid, safe, and effective therapeutic option but requires accurate preoperative and intraoperative evaluation of rudimentary uterine structures.