Natural history of lower urinary tract symptoms in treatment-seeking women with pelvic organ prolapse; the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN).
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2022-12
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Abstract
Background
The association of pelvic organ prolapse with overactive bladder and other lower urinary tract symptoms, and the natural history of those symptoms are not well characterized. Previous cross-sectional studies demonstrated conflicting relationships between prolapse and lower urinary tract symptoms.Objective
This study primarily aimed to determine the baseline association between lower urinary tract symptoms and prolapse and to assess longitudinal differences in symptoms over 12 months in women with and without prolapse. Secondary aims were to explore associations between lower urinary tract symptoms and prolapse treatment. We hypothesized that: (1) prolapse is associated with the presence of lower urinary tract symptoms, (2) lower urinary tract symptoms are stable over time in patients with and without prolapse, and (3) prolapse treatment is associated with lower urinary tract symptom improvement.Study design
Women enrolled in the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network Observational Cohort Study with adequate 12-month follow-up data were included. Prolapse and lower urinary tract symptom treatment during follow-up was guided by standard of care. Outcome measures included the Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Tool total severity score (in addition to overactive bladder, obstructive, and stress urinary incontinence subscales) and Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 Short Form. Prolapse (yes or no) was defined primarily when Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification System points Ba, C or Bp were >0 (beyond the hymen). Mixed-effects models with random effects for patient slopes and intercepts were fitted for each lower urinary tract symptom outcome and prolapse predictor, adjusted for other covariates. The study had >90% power to detect differences as small as 0.4 standard deviation for less prevalent group comparisons (eg, prolapse vs not).Results
A total of 371 women were analyzed, including 313 (84%) with no prolapse and 58 (16%) with prolapse. Women with prolapse were older (64.6±8.8 vs 55.3±14.1 years; P<.001) and more likely to have prolapse surgery (28% vs 1%; P<.001) and pessary treatment (26% vs 4%; P<.001) during the study. Average baseline Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Tool total severity scores were lower (fewer symptoms) for participants with prolapse compared with those without (38.9±14.0 vs 43.2±14.0; P=.036), but there were no differences in average scores between prolapse groups for other scales. For all urinary outcomes, average scores were significantly lower (improved) at 3 and 12 months compared with baseline (all P<.05). In mixed-effects models, there were no statistically significant interactions between pelvic organ prolapse measurement and visit and time-dependent prolapse treatment groups (P>.05 for all regression interaction coefficients). The Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Tool obstructive severity score had a statistically significant positive association with Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification System Ba, Bp, and point of maximum vaginal descent. The Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Tool total severity scale had a statistically significant negative association with Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification System Ba and point of maximum vaginal descent. No other associations between prolapse and lower urinary tract symptoms were significant (P>.05 for all regression coefficients). Symptom differences between prolapse groups were small: all regression coefficients (interpretable as additive percentage change in each score) were between -5 and 5 (standard deviation of outcomes ranged from 14.0-32.4).Conclusion
Among treatment-seeking women with urinary symptoms, obstructive symptoms were positively associated with prolapse, and overall lower urinary tract symptom severity was negatively associated with prolapse. Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Tool scores improved over 12 months regardless of prolapse status, including in those with treated prolapse, untreated prolapse, and without prolapse.Type
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Kowalski, Joseph T, Jonathan B Wiseman, Abigail R Smith, Margaret E Helmuth, Anne Cameron, John OL DeLancey, Whitney K Hendrickson, J Eric Jelovsek, et al. (2022). Natural history of lower urinary tract symptoms in treatment-seeking women with pelvic organ prolapse; the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN). American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 227(6). pp. 875.e1–875.e12. 10.1016/j.ajog.2022.07.038 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/27471.
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Scholars@Duke

John E Jelovsek
Dr. Jelovsek is the F. Bayard Carter Distinguished Professor of OBGYN at Duke University and serves as Director of Data Science for Women’s Health. He is Board Certified in OBGYN by the American Board of OBGYN and in Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery by the American Board of OBGYN and American Board of Urology. He has an active surgical practice in urogynecology based out of Duke Raleigh. He has expertise as a clinician-scientist in developing and evaluating clinical prediction models using traditional biostatistics and machine learning approaches. These “individualized” patient-centered prediction tools aim to improve decision-making regarding the prevention of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and other pelvic floor disorders after childbirth (PMID:29056536), de novo stress urinary incontinence and other patient-perceived outcomes after pelvic organ prolapse surgery, risk of transfusion during gynecologic surgery, and urinary outcomes after mid-urethral sling surgery (PMID: 26942362). He also has significant expertise in leading trans-disciplinary teams through NIH-funded multi-center research networks and international settings. As alternate-PI for the Cleveland Clinic site in the NICHD Pelvic Floor Disorders Network, he was principal investigator on the CAPABLe trial (PMID: 31320277), one of the largest multi-center trials for fecal incontinence studying anal exercises with biofeedback and loperamide for the treatment of fecal incontinence. He was the principal investigator of the E-OPTIMAL study (PMID: 29677302), describing the long-term follow up sacrospinous ligament fixation compared to uterosacral ligament suspension for apical vaginal prolapse. He was also primary author on research establishing the minimum important clinical difference for commonly used measures of fecal incontinence. Currently, he serves as co-PI in the NIDDK Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) (U01DK097780-05) where he has been involved in studies in the development of Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network Symptom Index-29 (LURN SI-29) and LURN SI-10 questionnaires for men and women with LUTS. He is also the site-PI for the PREMIER trial (1R01HD105892): Patient-Centered Outcomes of Sacrocolpopexy versus Uterosacral Ligament Suspension for the Treatment of Uterovaginal Prolapse.

Nazema Y. Siddiqui
Dr. Siddiqui is a clinician-scientist in the field of Urogynecology & Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery. She leads the Duke Urogenital Microbiome (Ur-BIOME) Research Program and has particular interest in how microbial factors influence recurrent UTIs and overactive bladder. She also serves as the Duke site PI for the Pelvic Floor Disorders Network, which is an NIH-sponsored group of investigators conducting clinical trials to improve the lives of women with pelvic floor issues.
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