Papers by Stavros Athanasiou
European Urology Supplements, 2005
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European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 2007
The use of vaginal meshes has been an advance in the surgical management of women with pelvic org... more The use of vaginal meshes has been an advance in the surgical management of women with pelvic organ prolapse. We reviewed the literature to synthesize the evidence regarding the infectious complications related to this new type of foreign body. We searched PubMed, current contents, and references of initially identified relevant articles and extracted data regarding the incidence, clinical manifestation, and management of vaginal mesh-related infections. The incidence of mesh-related infections and erosion ranged from 0 to 8%, and 0 to 33%, respectively, in the published studies. Various factors influence the development of vaginal mesh-related infectious complications such as the kind of biomedical material (e.g. filament structure, pore size) of the mesh, the type of procedure, the preventive measures taken, and the age and underlying comorbidity of the treated women. Non-specific pelvic pain, persistent vaginal discharge or bleeding, dyspareunia, and urinary or faecal incontinence are the most common manifestation of vaginal mesh-related infection. Clinical examination may reveal induration of the vaginal incision, vaginal granulation tissue, draining sinus tracts, and prosthesis erosion or rejection. Various pathogens have been implicated, including Gram-positive and Gram-negative aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. The management of mesh-related infections in women who underwent pelvic organ reconstruction is combined surgical and medical treatment. Although the use of vaginal meshes has become a new effective method of pelvic organ prolapse surgery clinicians should be aware of the various post-operative complications, including mesh-related infections.
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International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, 2007
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International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 2008
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Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2007
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International Urogynecology Journal, 2013
The aim of this study was the cross-cultural adaptation, validation, and psychometric evaluation ... more The aim of this study was the cross-cultural adaptation, validation, and psychometric evaluation in the Greek language of two self-reported instruments used for patients with pelvic floor disorders (PFDs): the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20) and the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire (PFIQ-7). For the cross-cultural adaptation, a multistep forward-back translation protocol was utilized. Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the questionnaires involved the assessment of validity, stability, internal consistency, and responsiveness. Validity, stability, and internal consistency were evaluated in women presenting with PFDs (group A), whereas responsiveness was assessed in women undergoing pelvic floor surgery (group B). A total of 100 women presenting with PFDs were included in Group A. A near excellent content/face validity was confirmed as assessed by the missing values criterion (0-5 %). Stability, as assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient, showed almost perfect agreement with a mean ICC of 0.850 (PFDI-20) and 0.840 (PFIQ-7). Internal consistency was found to be high for both questionnaires (Cronbach's alpha > 0.8). Finally, 85 women underwent pelvic floor repair surgery and were included for the assessment of responsiveness (group B). Good to excellent responsiveness was found for the prolapse and urinary subscales of the questionnaires. However, poor responsiveness was found for the colorectal-anal scale of the PFDI-20, whereas the colorectal-anal scale of the PFIQ-7 proved to be nonresponsive to change. The Greek versions of PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 were found to be comprehensible, valid, reliable, and responsive to use with patients complaining of PFDs.
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Papers by Stavros Athanasiou