Prostaglandin for enhancing bladder function after vaginal surgery. Does it work?

Fifty women underwent vaginal hysterectomy with or without anterior and posterior colporrhaphy. After the operations the women were allocated randomly to one of three groups. One group (17 patients) received daily vaginal suppositories of 10 mg of prostaglandin E2. The second group (15) received a daily intravesical solution of 50 micrograms of prostaglandin F2 alpha dissolved in 100 mL of normal saline. The third group (18) received a daily instillation of 100 mL of saline and served as the control group. The postvoiding residual urinary volume was checked daily through a suprapubic catheter, which was removed once the residual volume was less than 50 mL. The prostaglandin did not shorten the time required for postoperative bladder drainage. The rates of febrile morbidity and hospital stay were the same in all three groups. Since most of the women in the study voided spontaneously within three days, the "sit and wait" approach seems reasonable in such patients, and prophylactic treatment to enhance bladder function after vaginal operations does not seem justified.