Participants
Information on the 272 women included in the current study were from two databases, published in three separate studies, which described the use of sonovaginography for the prediction of surgical complexity (18-20). Participants in the original studies were seen between January 2016 and October 2021 in Sydney, Australia. They underwent surgery with one of six minimally invasive gynaecological surgeons (MIGS), all with the highest level of surgical ability, as per the Royal Australian New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists/Australasian Gynaecological Endoscopy & Surgery Society (RANZCOG/AGES) (21). Each participant had a systematic visual inspection of the pelvis, upper abdomen, and appendix. The databases used in this paper therefore contained comprehensive, coded data mapping the location and morphology of disease, as well as the surgical procedures performed for each case. Surgical findings were arranged under the columns of anterior peritoneal, anterior deep, posterior peritoneal, posterior deep, lateral and adnexal pathology. Under these columns pathology was coded and mapped under 66 subheadings. In addition, the presence of hydroureter and the presence and extent of pouch of Douglas obliteration (partial or complete) was described. Likewise, surgical procedures were listed including ureterolysis and the type of bowel surgery performed. The databases from the three studies were interrogated to ensure there were no cases with incomplete data. The participants were then de-identified.
Inclusion criteria from the original studies were women of reproductive age, and either a history of chronic pelvic pain, or a history of endometriosis, or both. Exclusion criteria were women with suspected malignancy, pregnancy, premature ovarian failure, menopause, and nonsurgical management. Additional exclusion criteria for this study were patients with incomplete data. All women included in the databases had previously consented for their de-identified surgical data to be used in research.