Surgical Vaginoplasty Treatment for Gender Dysphoria and
Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome: A Systematic Review and
Meta-analysis
Abstract
BACKGROUND: About 430,000-1,000,000 Gender Dysphoria- and
Mayer-Rokitanksy-Küster-Hauser-patients undergo vaginoplasty each year.
Various surgical procedures are available, but direct comparisons are
lacking. This inhibits well-informed decision making by patients and
healthcare professionals. OBJECTIVES: Highlight information gaps,
weaknesses and strengths of todays vaginoplasty techniques. SEARCH
STRATEGY: A systematic search in Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science and
Scopus until March 8, 2022 was conducted, by PICO method and PROSPERO
registration. SELECTION CRITERIA: Original retrospective studies on
complete neovaginal creation in adult Gender Dysphoria- and
Mayer-Rokitanksy-Küster-Hauser-patients and discussing anatomical
outcome, Quality of Life, satisfaction, sexual function, complications
and/or complaints. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data was extracted and
methodological quality and potential bias were assessed. The 95%
confidence intervals were calculated with DerSimonian and Laird
random-effects. MAIN RESULTS: A total of 47 articles were eligible.
Surgery took 198 minutes with 10.2 cm vaginal length. Major
complications included 5% hemorrhage, 1% gastrointestinal
complications, 1% prolapse, 3% tissue necrosis and 6% stenosis, with
31% revisions. Patients reported 25% excessive discharge, 6% pain,
11% fecal- and 17% urinary issues and one case of hair growth.
Patients also reported 95% aesthetic- and 93% anatomical satisfaction,
10% overall dissatisfaction and 1% regret. Reports showed 75% sexual
activity, 13% dyspareunia, 87% sensation and 84% overall functional
satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple vaginoplasty techniques demonstrated
safe and acceptable outcomes, with significant improvement of Quality of
Life and self-image. However, standardized validation tools are needed
for well-informed decision-making. Direct technique comparisons with
similar cohorts and exploration of tissue-engineering methods are
critical for future surgical advancements.