To evaluate the association between preoperative diabetes and postoperative complications in women undergoing posterior colporrhaphy.

This retrospective cohort study included 166 women who underwent posterior colporrhaphy between 2014 and 2023 at Soroka University Medical Center. Analysis was performed on 138 women for whom diabetes status and relevant clinical data were available. Demographic, clinical, and surgical characteristics were compared between diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Postoperative complications were assessed over a 12-month follow-up period and classified according to the Clavien-Dindo system. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent associations between diabetes and complications, adjusting for potential confounders including age, hypertension, and menopausal status.

Among women with complete data, 65.7% of diabetic patients experienced at least one postoperative complication compared to 58.3% of non-diabetic patients; this difference was not statistically significant. Diabetic patients were significantly older (62.7 vs. 55.6 years, p=0.002), had higher rates of hypertension (40% vs. 14.6%, p=0.001), and were less frequently postmenopausal (32.6% vs. 67.4%, p=0.035). Mean HbA1c levels were 7.15% in diabetic patients and 5.6% in non-diabetics. In multivariate analysis controlling for age, hypertension, and menopausal status, diabetes was not independently associated with postoperative complications.

Although diabetic patients had higher rates of age-related and metabolic comorbidities, diabetes itself was not independently associated with postoperative complications. This suggests that the presence of diabetes may reflect underlying risk factors rather than serving as a direct predictor of surgical outcomes. When adjusted for key confounders, diabetes did not appear to contribute additional risk, indicating that posterior colporrhaphy can be considered safe in well-selected diabetic patients under appropriate clinical management.

While diabetes was associated with several risk factors such as older age and hypertension, it was not found to be an independent predictor of postoperative complications within 12 months following posterior colporrhaphy. Women with diabetes mellitus undergoing posterior colporrhaphy may be reassured that they are not at increased risk of postoperative complications.