Laparoscopic creation of a neovagina with the laparoscopic Vecchietti operation: comparison of two instrument sets

Objective: To compare safety and effectiveness of two different instrument sets for the laparoscopic Vecchietti operation for the creation of a neovagina. Design: Descriptive study. Setting: Tertiary referral center. Patient(s): Twenty-six women with Rokitansky syndrome. Twelve consecutive patients had surgery with the kit recently developed by Storz (group 1) and 14 consecutive patients had surgery with the original kit of Vecchietti (group 2). Intervention(s): Laparoscopic Vecchietti operation and clinical and instrumental follow-up for all patients. Main Outcome Measure(s): All the parameters reflecting safety, effectiveness, and compliance that were systematically measured for all patients. Result(s): Patients in group 1 had a wider vagina at device removal and experienced less vaginal bleeding than patients in group 2, and the removal of the device was simpler. Patients in group 1 had a shorter vagina at device removal and retained the device and the Foley catheter for a longer period than patients in group 2. Diameter and length of neovagina at 1-month follow-up were comparable in the two groups. Conclusion(s): The availability of this new instrument set represents a small but significant improvement in the creation of a neovagina by the laparoscopic Vecchietti operation in women with Rokitansky syndrome.