Novel, disposable, self-inserted, vaginal device for the non-surgical management of pelvic organ prolapse: efficacy, safety, and quality of life

BACKGROUND: We evaluated a novel disposable, collapsible, ring-shaped vaginal device that is self-inserted within an applicator and removed with a string. The device was developed to overcome the drawbacks of existing ring pessaries for non-surgical pelvic organ prolapse management (POP). METHODS: The primary objective efficacy endpoint of this prospective, interventional, multicenter, self-controlled, and home-use study was the proportion of subjects with improved staging on the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) scale. Subjective efficacy was assessed using the POP symptoms alleviation score. Safety was evaluated by recording the rate and incidence of adverse events (AEs) in a daily diary, and quality of life (QoL) was evaluated using the modified Pelvic Floor Impact (PFIQ-7) and Pelvic Floor Disability Index (PFDI-20) questionnaires. RESULTS: A total of 94 usage cycles were observed in a group of 52 participants (mean age 60.2 ± 10.5 years, 81.1% postmenopausal) who used the device for 3558 days. Of these, 24 participants completed one usage cycle, 14 completed two usage cycles, and 14 completed three usage cycles with 28–45 days of ProVate use in each usage cycle. All patients experienced greater than two POP-Q stage reductions. The descent was completely reduced to POP-Q stage 0 in 97.8% of participants. The POP symptom alleviation questionnaire showed significant subjective efficacy (P < 0.0001). The modified PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 scores also improved substantially (P < 0.0001 for both). There were 91 nonserious device-related AEs: 98.9% were mild and 87.9% anticipated, with no vaginal infection, and one case of urinary tract infection. CONCLUSION: The novel device substantially reduces prolapse and provides significant subjective POP symptom relief and QoL improvement, with minimal AEs. The device may enable women to self-manage their prolapse with a small, disposable device that minimizes self-touching and frequent dependency on the clinic. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical.Trials.gov, NCT02239133, posted September 12, 2014 (retrospectively registered).