Treatment of C-section diverticula with hysteroscopic resection in women without childbearing intention: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Diverticulum, one of the long-term sequelae of cesarean section, can cause abnormal uterine bleeding, dysmenorrhea and chronic pelvic pain. Hysteroscopic resection of diverticula is thought to reduce abnormal uterine bleeding and chronic pelvic pain. In this study, we aim to describe the improvement after hysteroscopic resection of cesarean section diverticula (CSD) in women without childbearing intention, and to explore the variables associated with poor prognosis. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of women aged 25–48 with CSD diagnosis by transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) and hysteroscopy that were enrolled at Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center between June 2017 and December 2018. A total of 124 women met the inclusion criteria and all patients had undergone hysteroscopic resection and accepted a follow-up interview at the 3rd and 6th months postoperatively to record symptom improvement. RESULT: The mean of intraoperative blood loss and operative time of hysteroscopic resection were (12.94 ± 12.63) ml and (33.63 ± 6.87) min in 124 patients. Overall observed improvement rates of CSD symptom were 47.2 and 65.6% in the first 3 and 6 months, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression models revealed that timing of surgery < 14 days was a good prognostic factor associated with both 3-month improvement (OR, 16.59; 95% CI, 2.62–104.90; P = 0.003) and 6-month improvement (OR, 15.51; 95%CI, 1.63–148.00; P = 0.02); Patients with numbers of cesarean section (CS) ≥2 had a lower rate of improvement after 6 months of CSD repair surgery compared with patients who underwent one CS (OR, 8.29; 95%CI, 1.05–65.75; P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: A hysteroscopic repair might be an appropriate method for CSD in women who no childbearing intentions. The timing of surgery and the number of CS seems to be factors influencing the postoperative improvement of CSD.