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Objective: To compare adnexectomy by vaginal Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (vNOTES) versus laparoscopy. Design: Parallel group, 1:1 single‐centre single‐blinded randomised trial, designed as non‐inferiority study with a margin of 15%. Setting: Belgian teaching hospital. Population: Non‐pregnant non‐virgin women with an intact uterus and without obliteration of the pouch of Douglas scheduled to undergo removal of an adnexal mass assessed to be benign on ultrasound by IOTA criteria. Methods: Randomisation to laparoscopy (control group) or vNOTES (experimental group). Stratification according to adnexal size. Blinding of participants and outcome assessors by sham incisions. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome measure was adnexectomy by the allocated technique. Secondary outcomes included duration of surgery, pain scores and analgesics used, quality of life and adverse events. Results: We randomly assigned 67 participants (34 to the vNOTES group and 33 to the laparoscopy group). The primary end point was always reached in both groups: there were no conversions. We performed a sensitivity analysis for the primary outcome, assuming one conversion in the vNOTES group and no conversions in the laparoscopy group: the one‐sided 95% upper limit for the differences in proportions of conversion was estimated as 13%, which is below the predefined non‐inferiority margin of 15%. The secondary outcomes demonstrated a shorter duration of surgery, lower pain scores, lower total dose of analgesics and a trend for more adverse events in the vNOTES group. Conclusions: vNOTES is non‐inferior to laparoscopy for a successful adnexectomy without conversion. vNOTES allowed shorter operating times and less postoperative pain but there was a trend for more adverse events. This article includes Author Insights, a video abstract available at: https://vimeo.com/bjog/authorinsights16838 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare hysterectomy by transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) versus total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) as a day-care procedure.Design: Parallel group, 1:1 randomised single-centre single-blinded trial, designed as a non-inferiority study with a margin of 15%.Setting: Belgian teaching hospital.Population: Women aged 18-70 years scheduled to undergo hysterectomy for benign indications.Methods: Randomisation to TLH (control group) or vNOTES (experimental group). Stratification according to uterine volume. Blinding of participants and outcome assessors.Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was hysterectomy by the allocated technique. We measured the proportion of women leaving within 12 hours after hysterectomy and the length of hospital stay as secondary outcomes.Results: We randomly assigned 70 women to vNOTES (n = 35) or TLH (n = 35). The primary endpoint was always reached in both groups: there were no conversions. We performed a sensitivity analysis for the primary outcome, assuming one conversion in the vNOTES group and no conversions in the TLH group: the one-sided 95% upper limit for the differences in proportions of conversion was estimated as 7.5%, which is below the predefined non-inferiority margin. More women left the hospital within 12 hours after surgery after vNOTES: 77 versus 43%, difference 34% (95% CI 13-56%), P = 0.007. The hospital stay was shorter after vNOTES: 0.8 versus 1.3 days, mean difference -0.5 days, (95% CI -0.98 to -0.02), P = 0.004.Conclusions: vNOTES is non-inferior to TLH for successfully performing hysterectomy without conversion. Compared with TLH, vNOTES may allow more women to be treated in a day-care setting.Tweetable Abstract: RCT: vNOTES is just as good as laparoscopy for successful hysterectomy without conversion but allows more day-care surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uterine smooth muscle tumors of uncertain malignant potential, or STUMP, form a rare group of tumors that fall neither into the benign nor malignant categories. Two cases are reported, describing diagnosis, known prognostic factors, and therapy. In contrast to leiomyomas and leiomyosarcomas, many uncertainties still exist concerning prognosis and postoperative management of STUMP, because of their rarity. Diagnosis is usually not made preoperatively, but by postoperative anatomo-pathological examination. There are histological and immunohistochemical factors that could be associated with a worse prognosis, but scientific evidence is insufficient. Most cases show a low risk of recurrence, although individual risk is unpredictable. Recurrences mostly occur after a long disease-free interval. A conservative approach with strict long term clinical follow-up is therefore indicated. Further research must be conducted to identify surgical procedures that have a higher risk for recurrence. After a laparoscopy, where the specimen was morcellated, the possibility of peritoneal spread and the difficulty in examining section margins, need to be taken into account. Further treatment therefore needs to be individualized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia is a very common and well-known pathology. However superficial spreading of this lesion is very rare. The authors present a case of a 72-year-old woman with an abdominal mass, who had previously undergone a cervical conisation for a high-grade cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia. Anatomo-pathological examination of the mass showed a large distended fluid-filled uterus with the entire endometrium replaced by a high-grade squamous cell lesion. There were only micro-invasive foci found. The authors performed a literature search in PubMed with the following MeSH-terms: "squamous cell carcinoma" and "endometrium". Other articles were selected out of the references of previously found articles. Only 31 similar cases were found. The presentation of the cases is varies extremely and a long-term prognosis is not yet known. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:A number of techniques are being investigated to accomplish bladder control recovery in paralyzed patients using the neurostimulation, but currently, all techniques are based on the dorsal implantation of the electrodes using a laminectomy.Methods:On 27 April 2006 we performed a laparoscopic implantation of a Finetech–Brindley bladder controller on the endopelvic sacral roots in a Th8 completely paralyzed woman who had previously undergone the removal of a Brindley controller due to an arachnoiditis after extrathecal implantation with intradural sacral deafferentation.Results:We required about 3.5 h for the entire surgical procedure; no complications occurred and the patients went home on 5th postoperative day. The patient is now able to void empty her bladder and her rectum using the controller without further need for self-catheterisation.Conclusions:The presented new technique of laparoscopic implantation of electrodes on the endopelvic portion of the sacral nerve roots is an option to be considered in all paralyzed patients with further wish for electrical induced miction/defecation after previous deafferentation.Spinal Cord (2008) 46, 70–73; doi:10.1038/sj.sc.3102065; published online 10 April 2007 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe the first case of Vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) approach to repair of an uterine isthmocele.Design: Stepwise explanation of the surgical technique using original video footage. This study was exempted from requiring hospital IRB.Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Imelda Hospital, Belgium.Patient: A 30-year-old (G2P2) patient presented with symptoms of intermenstrual bleeding and secondary subfertility following two uncomplicated cesarean section deliveries (elective for breech, elective repeat). The patient had a transvaginal US demonstrating an isthmocele with a defect of 8.1x 7.0mm with a myometrial thickness of 2mm over the defect and proceeded to undergo surgery due to persistent symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) is utilised for gynaecological procedures globally, however evidence to support its application aside from hysterectomy is lacking. A systematic review to determine feasibility and safety profile of vNOTES for benign gynaecology was conducted., Data Sources: A literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, SCOPUS and CENTRAL was conducted, including all types of studies reporting vNOTES for gynaecological indications. After excluding cases with concurrent hysterectomy, the review focuses on procedures for benign indications and oncological procedures are reported separately. Patient characteristics and perioperative outcomes were reported, with pooled analysis for sufficiently powered categories., Methods of Study Selection: 54 articles were analysed, including 7 comparative studies (n=439) and 1 RCT (n=34), reporting 2469 cases of vNOTES, including adnexal (tubal and/or ovarian) (43 articles, n=2261), myomectomy (10 articles, n=136) and prolapse repair (6 articles, n=72) in predominantly premenopausal women with BMI<30kg/m 2 on pooled analysis., Tabulation, Integration and Results: The overall conversion rate was low (1.38%, n=34) with procedure specific conversion rates of 0.45-6.8% for adnexal procedures, 1.47% for myomectomy and none reported for prolapse repair. Overall complication rates were low (3.44%, n=85) with no associated mortality. Five (0.20%) adhesion-related rectal injuries at colpotomy were noted, all repaired intraoperatively without long-term sequelae., Conclusion: vNOTES appears feasible based on limited evidence, for uterine-sparing gynaecological indications, despite a notable rate of rectal injury at colpotomy. There is a negligible risk of rectal injury observed at conventional laparoscopy and robotically assisted surgery, but similar rate of entry-related gastrointestinal injury. This may be due to the learning-curve or suboptimal case selection, necessitating careful training, assessment, and appropriate patient selection. Surgeons should continue registering prospective vNOTES cases via iNOTESs, to evaluate emerging perioperative trends with global uptake of this novel technique., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest S.K. (Supuni Kapurubandara) disclosed honoraria for teaching from Applied Medical and Bayer. J.B. (Jan Baekelandt) disclosed consultancy for Applied Medical and Momentis Surgical, but these affiliations did not interfere with this report. Other authors declare no conflicts of interest and nothing to disclose., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: Vaginal hysterectomy combined with uterosacral suspension (USLS) is a technique for treating pelvic organ prolapse. Vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) has been described as an alternative minimal invasive approachfor treating various gynecological and non-gynecological pathologies. The aim was to compare the surgical time between conventional vaginal hysterectomy combined with USLS and vNOTES hysterectomy combined with USLS., Study Design: Multi-center randomized controlled trial performed 2019-2021 at Rambam Health Care Campus (Israel) and Imelda Hospital (Belgium). Thirty women underwent vNOTES procedures and 30 women underwent conventional vaginal procedures. The primary outcome was total surgical time. Secondary outcomes included hysterectomy time, USLS time, intraoperative bleeding, length of hospitalization, pain during the first 24 h postoperative, the need of analgesia, intraoperative and postoperative adverse events, and patient-reported outcomes questionnaires. Parametric statistical methods were used to analyze the data., Results: Compared to conventional vaginal procedures, vNOTES procedures were shorter in total surgical time (77 vs. 93 min, p = 0.004), hysterectomy time (26 vs 33 min, p < 0.001), and USLS time (20 vs 26 min. p = 0.02). Blood loss was higher in conventional vaginal compared to vNOTES surgery, as reflected by the mean blood loss estimate (143 vs 60 ml. p < 0.001) and the delta-hemoglobin (pre-operation minus the post-operation hemoglobin level (1.8 vs 1.2 ml/dL, p = 0.01). There was no difference between the groups regarding analgesics used, postoperative pain, surgical objective outcomes, and scores on patient-reported outcomes questionnaires. Adverse events were significantly more frequent in the conventional vaginal group than in the vNOTES group (p < 0.001 for intraoperative events and p = 0.05 for events that occurred in the follow-up time interval)., Conclusion: vNOTES hysterectomy with USLS has lower surgical times than conventional vaginal hysterectomy with USLS, lower blood loss and less adverse events. Other surgical objective and subjective outcomes were similar between the approaches., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To present the rates of intra- and postoperative complications and conversions in a large cohort of unselected vNOTES hysterectomies, performed by surgeons with different levels of expertise., Design: International register-based cohort study., Setting: Hysterectomies in the iNOTESs registry, 2015 to January 2024, performed by 201 surgeons from multiple countries., Population: 4565 patients undergoing vNOTES hysterectomy., Methods: Descriptive data are presented in frequencies (n) and percent (%)., Main Outcome Measure: Intra- and postoperative complications. Conversions., Results: Intraoperative and postoperative complication rates were 3.2% (n = 144) and 2.5% (n = 115), respectively. Conversions occurred in 1.6% (n = 72), of which 10 (0.2%) to laparotomy, and 82% of the conversions occurred within the first 50 cases of the surgeon's learning curve. The most common intraoperative complication was cystotomy, occurring in 1.3%, and almost half were performed by inexperienced surgeons. Other intraoperative organ injuries occurred in 20 cases (0.44%). Postoperatively, the most common complications were haemorrhage (n = 28), vault complications (n = 26) including 11 infected vault hematomas, cystitis (n = 18) and non-specific infections (n = 14). The vNOTES hysterectomies were performed by 201 surgeons, of which 9.5% had performed more than 50 vNOTES cases, representing 70% of the registered cases in the registry. The remaining 30% of the hysterectomies mainly represent learning curve data from 90% of the included surgeons. The complication rate decreased with increasing surgical experience., Conclusions: The largest study population of vNOTES hysterectomies is presented, including both learning curve data and data from experienced surgeons, with acceptable rates of intra- and postoperative complications. No implication was found of vNOTES being inferior to other minimally invasive methods., (© 2024 The Author(s). BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The technique to perform adnexectomy for adnexal masses has shifted over the last decades, from open surgery towards minimally invasive approaches. At the same time caution is warranted to prevent perioperative intra-abdominal spilling of cyst content which can be a challenge especially for very large masses. vNOTES (vaginal Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery) combines a vaginal approach with endoscopic overview in performing gynaecological surgery without abdominal scarring. The aim of the video is to demonstrate a vNOTES technique for safely bagging very large adnexal masses., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflict of interest. Jan Baekelandt and Andrea Stuart disclose consultancy/ teaching for Applied Medical., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Urinary incontinence affects 25-45 % of women with the gold standard surgical approach being placement of mid-urethral synthetic slings; tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) and trans-obturator tape (TOT). Due to the controversies regarding vaginal mesh the last decade, an increasing demand has evolved for incontinence treatment without vaginal synthetic mesh. The short term results of autologous rectus fascia sling for TOT surgery have shown similar success rates compared to those after the use of synthetic mesh, but the harvesting of the mesh is less minimally invasive and is associated with longer surgical time. vNOTES is a combination of a vaginal entrance to the abdomen and endoscopy via the vagina. The aim with the video is to show a new surgical technique with a fully vaginal, scarless vNOTES approach for harvesting the posterior rectus fascia for TVT and TOT procedures., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflict of interest. Jan Baekelandt and Andrea Stuart declares consultancy/ teaching for Applied Medical., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To demonstrate how a radical hysterectomy with sentinel node resection for cervical cancer can be performed via vaginal Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (vNOTES)., Design: Demonstration of the technique in 10 steps. making use of narrated original video footage SETTING: The surgical treatment of cervical cancer is traditionally performed via one of the following techniques: Wertheim radical hysterectomy via laparotomy, Schauta radical hysterectomy vaginally, laparoscopic radical hysterectomy or robotic radical hysterectomy. The results of the LACC trial showed that minimally invasive radical hysterectomy was associated with lower rates of disease-free survival and overall survival than open radical hysterectomy among women with early-stage cervical Cancer [1]. For endometrial cancer, a vNOTES retroperitoneal approach to sentinel node resection was first published in 2019 [2]. Based on the experience with this approach and with Schauta-Stoeckel radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer [3], a new approach was developed to perform a radical hysterectomy via vNOTES whereby most of the procedure is performed retroperitoneally [4]. This video article demonstrates in 10 steps how a radical hysterectomy via vNOTES is performed., Interventions: Radical hysterectomy via vNOTES demonstrated making use of original video footage of a 57-year-old woman operated on for cervical adenocarcinoma 7 weeks after a LEEP cone. The steps of the procedure are: 1. Vaginal cuff creation, 2. Development of lateral retroperitoneal space and sentinel node resection, 3. Uterine artery and vein transection, 4. Hypogastric nerve dissection, 5. Development of central retroperitoneal space and rectum dissection, 6. Posterior colpotomy, 7. Parametrium dissection, 8. Bladder pillar dissection, 9. Anterior colpotomy, 10. Salpingo-oophorectomy or salpingectomy. 3 Patients were so far treated by this new technique that allowed for good hemostatic control., Conclusion: vNOTES enables a potentially less invasive approach to radical hysterectomy performed largely retroperitoneally and completely transvaginally, leaving no visible scars. The endoscopic approach offers excellent visualization of the retroperitoneal and parametrial anatomy. This is a new approach that requires further validation and should only be performed in a research setting, taking into account the current reservations about endoscopic surgery for cervical cancer resulting from the LACC trial. VIDEO ABSTRACT., (Copyright © 2024 AAGL. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Vaginal hysterectomy (VH) rate is declining despite being considered as the optimal minimally invasive option for hysterectomy with reduced operative time and length of stay compared with laparoscopic hysterectomy (LH). Vaginal assisted natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery hysterectomy (VANH) combines the advantages of both vaginal and endoscopic approach to surgery., Aims: To report feasibility and early experience of a single surgeon adopting VANH at a tertiary Australian hospital., Materials and Methods: Prospective review of the first 20 VANH cases with complete data set collected retrospectively including patient demographics, indication for surgery and perioperative outcomes., Results: The median age of the first 20 participants was 51.5 years (47-57 years of age) and the median body mass index was 33.5 kg/m 2 (27.8-38.3 kg/m 2 ). The predominant indication was complex hyperplasia with atypia (12/20, 60%). The median parity was two (1-3) where four patients were nulliparous. The median blood loss was 125 mL (100-200 mL) with an operative time of 149 min (138-198 min) and median weight of the specimen of 181.5 g (66.5-219 g). The mean length of stay was 1.4 days (1-2 days). Five cases had conversion to laparoscopy and the majority (80%) occurred within the first ten cases., Conclusions: VANH is feasible but there is a learning curve to achieve competence in this technique, which requires adequate training in the early stages of adoption with careful case selection. Until further robust data is available to determine the clinical benefit and safety profile of VANH, patients should be carefully counselled and the decision on mode of hysterectomy be individualised., (© 2024 The Author(s). Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.)

Introduction: The current standard treatment for endometrial cancer is a laparoscopic hysterectomy with adnexectomies and bilateral sentinel node resection. A retroperitoneal vNOTES sentinel node resection has several theoretical potential advantages. These include being less invasive, leaving no visible scars, operating without Trendelenburg, and therefore offering the anesthetic advantage of easier ventilation in obese patients and following the natural lymph node trajectory from caudally to cranially and therefore a lower risk of missing the sentinel node. The aim of this study is to determine the feasibility of a retroperitoneal vNOTES approach to sentinel lymph node dissection for staging of endometrial cancer., Material and Methods: A prospective multicenter case series was performed in four hospitals. A total of 64 women with early-stage endometrial carcinoma suitable for surgical staging with sentinel lymph node removal were operated via a transvaginal retroperitoneal vNOTES approach. The paravesical space was entered through a vaginal incision after injecting the cervix with indocyanine green. A vNOTES port was placed into this space and insufflation of the retroperitoneum was performed. Sentinel lymph nodes were identified bilaterally using near-infrared light followed by endoscopic removal of these nodes., Results: A total of 64 women with early-stage endometrial cancer underwent sentinel lymph node removal by retroperitoneal vNOTES technique. All patients also underwent subsequent vNOTES hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. The median age was 69.5 years, median total operative time was 126 min and the median estimated blood loss was 80 mL. In 97% of the cases bilateral sentinel nodes could be identified. A total of 60 patients had negative sentinel nodes, three had isolated tumor cells and one had macroscopically positive sentinel nodes. No complications with sequel occurred., Conclusions: This prospective multicenter case series demonstrates the feasibility of the vNOTES approach for identifying and removing sentinel lymph nodes in women with endometrial carcinoma successfully and safely. vNOTES allows sole transvaginal access with exposure of the entire retroperitoneal space, following the natural lymph trajectory caudally to cranially, and without the need for a Trendelenburg position., (© 2024 The Authors. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology (NFOG).)

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to show the feasibility and surgical outcome of vNOTES retroperitoneal dissection and isolation of sentinel lymph nodes in overweight and obese patients with endometrial cancer., Materials and Methods: Four patients had undergone pelvic lymphadenectomy with a sentinel lymph node. Three patients were overweight, and one was obese with a BMI of 34.6 kg/m 2 . By using NMR mode sentinel lymph node was visualized, excised and marked separately for pathohistological analysis from the rest of the visualized lymph nodes that were then consecutively excised., Results: The mean number of overall excised lymph nodes was 12.5, and the mean number on the right side was 5.75 and 6.25 on the left side. There were no metastases verified in the pathohistological evaluation., Conclusion: vNOTES retroperitoneal isolation of sentinel lymph nodes is good alternative and has its benefits, especially in overweight and obese patients with satisfying low intra- and postoperative complications., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: Hysterectomy is one of the most common major gynecological surgeries, and it is performed for benign and malignant reasons. Currently, five types of hysterectomies are described: vaginal (VH), abdominal (AH), laparoscopic (LH), robotic, and vNOTES (vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery). This paper compares these two types of surgery in obese patients by analyzing the surgeries performed by our team., Materials and Methods: The research was conducted from January 2022 to December 2023 at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the General Hospital in Zadar. The study included female patients aged 18-75 years with a BMI > 30 kg/m2, regardless of parity, who were operated on for benign pathology., Results: There were 24 patients included in total. One conversion was observed in the TLH group because of excessive bleeding. Median operative time (IQR) was significantly lower in the vNOTES group (p < 0.05) than in the TLH group 35 (10.9) vs 125 (74.0) min., Conclusion: The results concerning the duration of surgery, conversion rate, and postoperative bleeding and complications show that vNOTES hysterectomies seem to be feasible for obese patients. Further studies are needed to confirm these observations., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objectives: The purpose of this systematic review is to present and compare results from studies that have been using autologous tissue for POP repair., Methods: Systematic review was done according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews. We aimed to retrieve reports of published and ongoing studies on the efficacy and safety of autologous tissue in vaginal vault prolapse repair. The databases searched were MEDLINE (PubMed interface), Scopus, Cohrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and ClinicalTrials.gov., Results: The success rate varied among studies. In fascia-lata group success rate reports varied from 83 to a 100%, with a median follow-up from 12 to 52 months among studies. Rectus fascia reported success rates from 87 to a 100% with a follow-up of 12 months to longest of 98 months., Conclusion: Autologous tissues show satisfying outcomes in terms of safety and efficacy. Sacrocolpopexy procedure with fascia lata has better outcome in term of treatment of prolapse. Harvesting place on lateral side of buttock has more complications in comparison with rectus fascia but size of the graft can be wider in fascia-lata group., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To describe a retroperitoneal transient occlusion of the uterine or internal iliac artery in conjunction with a high-risk evacuation of products of conception. The procedure was performed vaginally, minimally invasively, via vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery., Design: Description of the surgical technique using original video footage. This study was exempted from requiring hospital institutional review board approval., Setting: Teaching hospital., Patient(s): A 34-year-old woman (G8P3) with a medical history of 2 cesarean sections, 1 partial mole, and a missed abortion with 2.8 L of blood loss. The patient presented after 10 weeks of amenorrhea. Ultrasound revealed a large blood-filled niche in the cesarean section scar with a thin overlying myometrium. A partial mole was suspected as well as increased vascularization in the myometrium and enhanced myometrial vascularity with arterial flow velocities of 100 cm/s. A risk of heavy blood loss in conjunction with curettage was anticipated. The patient had a strong preference for a fertility-preserving treatment, and after informed consent, she opted for transient occlusion of the uterine arteries with subsequent suction evacuation of the molar pregnancy. The patient signed a consent form accepting the procedure. The patient included in this video provided consent for publication of the video and posting of the video online including social media, the journal website, and scientific literature websites. Institutional review board approval was not required in accordance with the IDEAL guidelines., Intervention(s): A vaginal incision was made over the bladder, and the vaginal mucosa was dissected. The paravesical space was dissected over the arcus tendinous, and the pelvic retroperitoneal space was opened. A small (7 cm) GelPOINT V-Path (Applied Medical, Rancho Santa Margarita, California) was inserted into the obturator fossa and insufflated with 10 CO 2 mm Hg. Standard laparoscopic instruments were used through the gel port. Under endoscopic view, dissection to the right obturator fossa and iliac vessels was made, and the internal iliac artery was identified. A removable clip was placed on the origin of the right uterine artery. The same procedure was performed on the left side where the internal iliac artery was clipped. Different vessels were clipped to demonstrate and investigate the feasibility of both approaches. Both vessels were equally accessible. Care should be taken not to injure the uterine vein at the time of clipping. Dilation and evacuation was performed under transanal ultrasound surveillance. When hemostatic control was assured, first, the right clip was removed from the iliac artery. Hemostatic control was ensured, and after 10 minutes, the second clip on the left iliac artery was removed. The GelPOINT was removed, and the vaginal incision was sutured. The patient bled in total 500 mL., Main Outcome Measure(s): Not applicable., Result(s): The patient recovered swiftly without complications. Pathology confirmed a partial molar pregnancy., Conclusion(s): Uterine or internal iliac artery ligation can be lifesaving in situations with massive bleeding from the uterus. Current minimally invasive approaches are laparoscopic vessel ligation and, more commonly, uterine artery embolization, which has unclear impact on fertility and has shown an increased risk of intrauterine growth restriction, miscarriage, and prematurity. As the patient was undergoing a vaginal evacuation of pregnancy, a vaginal and retroperitoneal approach of artery ligation was deemed least invasive. In patients with fertility-preserving wishes, care should to be taken to avoid as much trauma as possible to the endometrium. Optimized blood control, and a shorter duration of using a curette, may potentially reduce the risk of endometrial damage. We present a novel minimally invasive approach via vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery-retroperitoneal transient occlusion of the internal iliac or uterine artery. The whole procedure can be performed by the operating gynecologist, and the occlusion is transient and can be reversed in a stepwise controlled manner., Competing Interests: Declaration of Interests J. Baekelandt discloses consultancy for Applied Medical. J.S. has nothing to disclose. J. Bosteels has nothing to disclose. A.S. discloses educational work for Applied Medical., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Hypothesis: The Manchester procedure is a classic native tissue prolapse technique with low recurrence and low complication rate. vNOTES (vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery) is a vaginal approach to enter the intra or retroperitoneal space, with the guidance of endoscopic visualization. Different studies have shown women to prefer uterus-preserving correction of prolapse over hysterectomy, as they worry about complications, impact on sexual function and self- sense. At the same time, an increasing caution and awareness of mesh related complications has evolved, giving a need for the development of additional non-mesh uterus preserving surgical techniques for prolapse. The aim with the video is to show a new surgical technique for prolapse, combining the Manchester procedure with vNOTES retroperitoneal non-mesh promontory hysteropexy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflict of interest. Jan Baekelandt and Andrea Stuart declares consultancy/ teaching for Applied Medical., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Introduction: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common condition in women. During lifetime, up to 40% of all women will develop (POP)., Materials and Methods: Between June and December 2021, five patients were successfully treated via vNOTES Posterior Rectus Fascia Prolapse ( PREFAP) repair. No intra-operative complications or conversions occurred., Conclusion: In this study we demonstrated a new technique for prolapse repair, harvesting the autologous posterior rectus fascia sheath via vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) as an alternative for a synthetic mesh., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is a novel technique for minimally invasive gynecological surgery. Adequate training and standardization are key elements to patient safety and quality of care. Based on consensus statements and expert opinion; we report a step-by-step guidance for hysterectomy via natural orifice transluminal endoscopy. A detailed description is presented of pre- and postoperative care, and the instruments and equipment used, and surgical steps are illustrated by photographic images. This report can guide surgeons in their training to perform a hysterectomy via NOTES., (© 2022 The Authors. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology (NFOG).)

Vaginal Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (vNOTES) is a minimally invasive, scar-free technique that uses a vaginal colpotomy to access the peritoneal cavity. Hysterectomy via vNOTES has shown to be technically feasible and safe, with shorter hospital stay and lower postoperative pain scores. Moreover, vNOTES adds the advantages of endoscopy to those of vaginal surgery and thereby broadens the indications of a conventional vaginal hysterectomy. Virginity has been contraindicated for vNOTES so far, as vaginal accessibility can be severely reduced in virgin women. Therefore, cases of vNOTES hysterectomy in virgin patients have never been reported in the literature. The objective of this study is to assess the technical feasibility and safety of hysterectomy in virgin women. We performed a retrospective analysis of patient files of all vNOTES hysterectomies performed on virgin women in our centre (Imelda Hospital, Bonheiden, Belgium) from July 2016 until June 2020 ( N  = 9). Despite limited vaginal accessibility, vNOTES hysterectomy was successfully performed in all nine patients, without conversion to laparoscopy or laparotomy and without clinically relevant complications. In this first IDEAL stage 1 study, vaginal NOTES hysterectomy appears to be technically feasible and safe in virgin women.Impact statement What is already known on this subject? Vaginal Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (vNOTES) is an emerging, minimally invasive technique that offers a safe alternative to laparoscopy and open surgery. Besides better cosmetics (scar-free technique), advantages of vNOTES hysterectomy include shorter hospital stay and less postoperative pain compared to laparoscopic hysterectomy. Moreover, vNOTES adds the benefits of endoscopy (visualisation of anatomy) to conventional vaginal hysterectomy. Virginity has been contraindicated for vNOTES so far, because the absence of uterine descent and narrow vagina in virgins is thought to complicate the vaginal approach. Therefore, vNOTES hysterectomy has never been reported in virgin patients. What do the results of this study add? In this study, we are the first to report the feasibility of performing a vNOTES hysterectomy in virgin patients. The results show that, in experienced hands, indications for vNOTES can be broadened and include virgin women. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? This first report of vNOTES hysterectomy in virgin patients is only a small but important step in the evaluation of safety and efficacy of this emerging technique. Further research is needed to assess reproducibility of the findings and to carefully determine indications and contraindications of vNOTES.

Background: Trans-vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) is a recently popularised minimally invasive surgical procedure, aimed at minimising abdominal wall scars and improving pain and patient recovery times. Although vNOTES has been studied in the context of post-operative pain and cosmesis, women's acceptance of the technique has only been cursorily examined. In this survey-based observational study, we assessed the acceptability of this technique among a cohort of Middle Eastern women., Materials and Methods: A cohort of 175 Middle Eastern women were surveyed using a 13-item questionnaire at a single gynaecology centre. The survey used was a translated version of a questionnaire from a previous study (1) and comprised open-response, five-point Likert Scale and agree-disagree items., Results: Among 175 Middle Eastern women participated in this study most of them holding neutral view on abdominal and gynaecological procedures via vagina. 47% of participants were unsure regarding the effect of surgery via vagina on their sexual function. Although 61% of the participants showed no preference towards vNOTES over laparoscopic cholecystectomy, more than half of them indicated preference if vNOTES shown to be as effective and safe as laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The gender of the surgeon was shown to have no influence on the perspectives of the majority of participants to undergo vNOTES., Conclusions: vNOTES may hold value for women who have conservative upbringing and/or value cosmesis. This study provides information regarding Middle Eastern women's perspectives on vNOTES, which may be of considerable clinical use as the popularity of this surgical technique continues to increase., (© 2021. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

This is a first feasibility on vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) in patients with prior hysterectomy. Our aim was to gain initial experience on performing vNOTES surgery on prior hysterectomy cases, whereby the main concern is that pelvic adhesions may impede safe transvaginal access. Between January 2017 and February 2020, a single surgeon (J.B.) performed vNOTES surgery on nine patients with a history of hysterectomy. Conventional laparoscopic instruments were inserted transvaginally through a vNOTES port. No abdominal incisions were made. Patient data and perioperative data were analyzed. Mean operating time was 38 minutes and there were no operative complications. Postoperative pain scores were low. The mean size of the adnexal cysts that were removed was 26 mm. In this study, vNOTES surgery was successfully performed in nine patients with prior hysterectomy. Following the IDEAL principles, it is important to report on our initial findings of this IDEAL stage 1 study. The results warrant further investigation in IDEAL stage 2 studies but do not validate the widespread use of this approach., (© 2021 Asia Endosurgery Task Force and Japan Society of Endoscopic Surgery and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Study Objective: To evaluate the outcome of hysterectomy through vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) in cases with a large uterus., Design: A retrospective cohort study., Setting: Belgian teaching hospital., Patients: Women who underwent a vNOTES hysterectomy from March 2015 to March 2020 for benign gynecologic disease with a uterine weight of 280 g or more on pathologic examination (N = 114)., Interventions: All women underwent vaginally assisted NOTES hysterectomy. We performed a retrospective analysis of baseline patient characteristics and clinical outcomes., Measurements and Main Results: The mean age was 50 ± 3.5 years. Twenty-two (19%) patients were obese (body mass index ≥30 kg/m 2 ), and 4 (3.5%) were morbidly obese (body mass index ≥40 kg/m 2 ). Thirty-five (31%) patients were nulliparous, and 15 (13%) women had 1 or more cesarean sections in their medical history. Uterine weight varied from 281 g to 3361 g, with a mean weight of 559 ± 425 g. Mean surgical time was 63 ± 34 minutes. Surgical time was positively associated with uterine size. There were 4 complications: 3 bleeding complications in the first 24 hours after surgery and 1 minor late complication. Conversion to laparotomy for specimen extraction was performed in 1 case (conversion rate 0.9%). There were no conversions to laparoscopy. No ureteric, bladder, or intestinal injuries occurred in this case series, and there were neither life-threatening complications nor intensive care unit admissions., Conclusion: The vNOTES technique can offer a safe and effective alternative to laparoscopy or laparotomy in cases with a large to very large uterus, even if the patient has a history of cesarean section, obesity, or nulliparity. In 99% of all women in this study, hysterectomy was successfully performed through vNOTES without conversion. By making use of the advantages of endoscopic surgery, vNOTES might broaden the indications of vaginal hysterectomy. Randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate whether vaginally assisted NOTES hysterectomy is superior to laparoscopic or abdominal hysterectomy in large uteri cases., (Copyright © 2020 AAGL. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Study Objective: The Hominis surgical system is a novel robot-assisted system, designed specifically for robotic vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (RvNOTES). We presented our experience of the first 30 RvNOTES hysterectomies assessing the feasibility and safety of this technology., Design: A two-center prospective study., Setting: Academic tertiary referral centers. The ethics committees approved the study in both centers., Patients: Thirty women with benign indication for hysterectomy., Intervention: RvNOTES hysterectomy performed by the Hominis surgical system., Measurements and Main Results: The primary outcome of the study was the rate of conversion to open or conventional laparoscopic approaches. Secondary outcomes included intra- and postoperative adverse events, operative time, estimated blood loss, length of hospital stay, and 6-week follow-up assessment. A total of 15 women were enrolled at each site. The median age was 59 years (range: 37-79) and the median body mass index was 25.4 kg/m 2 (range: 17.6-40.0). Twenty-four women (80%) had comorbidities. All the procedures were completed successfully without conversion to open abdominal, traditional vaginal, or conventional laparoscopic surgery. No intraoperative complications were observed. Median blood loss and procedure duration were 50 mL (range: 20-400) and 57 minutes (range: 24-88), respectively. Postoperative pain was minimal, with a median visual analog scale of 3 (range: 1-5) for the first 24 hours following surgery. The median hospital stay was 3 days (range: 2-8). According to the treating physicians' evaluations, the vaginal cuff was fully healed in all patients at the 6-week postoperative follow-up visit., Conclusions: This is the first publication of robot-assisted vaginal hysterectomy using the Hominis surgical system. The positive results of this study show this new technology to be a safe and effective tool for vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery, enabling surgeons to operate vaginally with the known advantages of robotic modality., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objectives: Vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) is an emerging minimally invasive technique in benign gynaecologic surgery whereby surgical access to the peritoneal cavity is achieved through natural orifices, namely through a vaginal colpotomy. Experience in repeat vNOTES cases is limited and so far, repeat vNOTES cases have not been described in the literature. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of vNOTES hysterectomy in women with a history of previous vNOTES adnexal surgery., Design: We performed a retrospective cohort study of the first 11 repeat vNOTES cases in our centre. All vNOTES procedures, primary adnexal surgery as well as repeat vNOTES hysterectomy, were performed by one surgeon (J.B.). Materials, Setting, Methods: Between March 2016 and May 2020, 11 patients underwent a vNOTES hysterectomy after prior vNOTES adnexectomy or cystectomy in Imelda Hospital, Bonheiden, Belgium. Relevant patient characteristics and outcome data were collected after written informed consent., Results: Median age was 49 years (range 44-65) at the moment of the first vNOTES procedure. Two patients had one or more caesarean sections in history, and 2 women were nulliparous. Median interval between primary and repeat vNOTES procedure was 15 months (range 0.8-37 months). All patients underwent a vaginally assisted NOTES hysterectomy (VANH) as repeat vNOTES procedure. Performing a colpotomy and entering the peritoneal cavity after prior vNOTES was technically feasible in all cases. All VANHs were successfully performed. There were 3 minor complications after repeat vNOTES, of which one was anaesthesia-related. The 2 complications associated with the surgical procedure were both cystitis. In one of these 2 patients, there were high post-void residues, which were easily managed by bladder training. There were no conversions to laparoscopy or laparotomy, neither serious nor life-threatening complications. No ureteric, bladder, or intestinal injuries have occurred., Limitations: The retrospective design and small sample size are the main limitations of this study. Moreover, the follow-up period of the most recently operated patients was too short to draw conclusions on long-term outcomes, including sexual function., Conclusions: In all patients in this case series, vNOTES hysterectomy after prior vNOTES adnexal surgery was successfully performed. Large-scale prospective trials with long-term follow-up are needed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of multiple consecutive vNOTES procedures in 1 patient., (© 2021 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe our experience with transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) uterosacral ligament suspension (USLS) and to evaluate the learning curve of mastering the skills to operate this procedure., Methods: This is a prospective study of the first 35 vNOTES hysterectomy and USLS surgeries performed between October 2018 and April 2019 at Rambam Health Care Campus (Israel) (n = 26) and Imelda Hospital (Belgium) (n = 9). The primary outcome was surgical time. Secondary outcomes included intraoperative bleeding, length of hospitalization, pain during the first 24 hours postoperative pain, and the need for analgesia, intraoperative, and postoperative adverse events., Results: The median age was 55 years (range, 40-81). The median operative time was 113 minutes (range, 89-233). For the procedures performed at Rambam, total operative time decreased from the first 13 to the following 13: from 149 minutes (range, 89-233 minutes) to 103 (89-170) (<0.001); Pearson correlation demonstrated a moderate negative significant correlation of surgery duration with surgeon experience (rho = -0.445, P < 0.001). The median estimated blood loss was 30 mL (20-200). The median hospital stay was 2 days (1-3). There were no intraoperative adverse events. The median visual analogue scale score for pain assessment during the first 24 hours after surgery was 1 (range, 1-3)., Conclusions: vNOTES USLS is a feasible procedure that showed marked improvement in surgical performance in a short period, as evidenced by the decrease in surgical time and the low rate of minor associated perioperative complications. Outcomes of long-term follow-up should be investigated., Competing Interests: Disclosure statement: Dr Baekelandt discloses consultancy for Applied Medical. Other authors report no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 American Urogynecologic Society. All rights reserved.)

Study Objective: Vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) is a novel minimal invasive surgical technique allowing a variety of gynecological procedures. The current literature describes improved patient comfort, improved better cosmetic results, and reduced operation time. This is a first study to assess pregnancy outcome after fertility-preserving vNOTES procedures. Design/Participants/Materials/Setting/Methods: We performed a retrospective observational cohort study including 125 patients under 43 years that underwent fertility-preserving vNOTES over a 5-year period (2014-2019). The gynecological surgical procedures included were vNOTES myomectomy, vNOTES salpingectomy for ectopic pregnancy, vNOTES unilateral adnexectomy, and vNOTES cystectomy. A total of 26 pregnancies in 21 cases were observed, with deliveries between 2015 and 2020., Results: Retrospective analysis in this patient group showed that 18 pregnancies were diagnosed within 1 year after vNOTES (85.7%). Mean interval between surgery and pregnancy was 6 months. Fertility treatment was performed in 28.6%. In the 26 observed pregnancies, no vNOTES-related complications were observed and delivery was at term in all cases. Mode of delivery was a vaginal delivery in twenty cases (76.9% of total) of which 2 cases vacuum assisted (7.7%) and a Caesarean section in 6 cases (23.1% of total). Two cases of trial of labor after Caesarean are described after vNOTES surgery, both ended in an uncomplicated vaginal delivery. In case of vaginal delivery, the perineum was intact in 15%, a mediolateral episiotomy was performed in 50 and 35% a grade 1-2 perineal rupture was described. No grade 3-4 perineal ruptures are described., Limitations: A limitation of this study is the retrospective design which does not correct for confounding factors. Further larger multicenter studies are needed to validate these data., Conclusions: This is the first study describing pregnancy outcome after fertility-preserving vNOTES procedures. vNOTES did not affect the mode of delivery or cause pregnancy-related complications. vNOTES did not increase the risk of extensive perineal tears during vaginal delivery. These preliminary data show no adverse events when vNOTES is performed in women of reproductive age. Posterior colpotomy as performed in all vNOTES procedures is by itself not an indication for an elective Caesarean section., (© 2021 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

(1) Objective: We aimed to report an update of the systematic review and meta-analysis by Baekelandt et al. (2016). (2) Method: We followed PRISMA guidelines to perform this systematic review. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL and additional sources and aimed to retrieve randomised controlled trials (RCTs), controlled clinical trials (CCTs) and prospective/retrospective cohort studies in human subjects that allowed direct comparison of vNOTES to laparoscopy. (3) Results: Our search yielded one RCT and five retrospective cohort trials. Pooled analysis of two subgroups showed that, compared to conventional laparoscopy, vNOTES is equally effective to successfully remove the uterus in individuals meeting the inclusion criteria. vNOTES had significantly lower values for operation time, length of stay and estimated blood loss. There was no significant difference in intra- and postoperative complications, readmission, pain scores at 24 h postoperative and change in hemoglobin (Hb) on day 1 postoperative.