Laparoscopic Vecchietti Procedure - Minimally Invasive Treatment for Vaginal Agenesis

Akira W. Gillingham, MD; Kimberly Kenton, MD, MS, FACS, FACOG; Julia Geynisman-Tan, MD; Oluwateniola Brown, MD; Sarah A. Collins, MD; Christina Lewicky-Gaupp, MD; Margaret G. Mueller, MD, FACS

Product Details
Product ID: ACS-5730
Year Produced: 2019
Length: 4 min.


Vaginal agenesis, or congenital absence of the vagina, occurs in 1 in 5000 females. In a non-surgical approach to creating a neovagina, patients use graduated vaginal dilators against the vaginal dimple to progressively invaginate the mucosa. However this process to create a functional vagina can take several months to years, therefore various surgical techniques have been described. In this video, we demonstrate the steps used to perform a laparoscopic Vecchietti procedure. This procedure utilizes an acylic olive-shaped vaginal dilator to exert continuous pressure against the vaginal dimple. The olive is connected to an external abdominal tractioning device via subperitoneal sutures. Daily tensioning of the tractioning device allows 1-2 cm of invagination each day, and the neovagina is created in approximately 7 days. To prevent vaginal stenosis and shortening, the patient is instructed to perform daily self dilation until regular vaginal intercourse is initiated. The advantages of the laparoscopic Vecchietti is its minimally invasive approach, short operating time, and unlike the McIndoe and sigmoid vaginoplasty procedures, does not rely on any grafting material.