A rare case of vaginal vault evisceration and its management

A 66 year old woman presented to A&E with per vagina bleeding and a mass protruding from the vagina. The patient was examined under anaesthesia, which revealed vaginal prolapse with evisceration of approximately 20-30 cm of bowel. The patient had received an abdominal hysterectomy 30 years ago for menorrhagia. In the last decade, the patient had experienced other recurrent episodes of prolapse (cystocoele and retrocoele). Vaginal vault evisceration is a recognised rare complication of hysterectomy and is a gynaecological emergency. This patient’s condition was rapidly recognised and surgically managed. The repair was achieved in two surgeries. Initially, the small bowel was re-inserted into the peritoneal cavity through the vaginal wall defect and the vaginal defect repaired. After sufficient time for healing, a sacrocolpopexy was performed to repair the prolapse.