A comparison of laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy and total abdominal hysterectomy outcomes

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare operative and postoperative results of laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy (LSH) and total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH). DESIGN: Cohort retrospective analysis of consecutive patients (Canadian Task Force classification II-3). SETTING: Department of gynecology at a metropolitan medical center. PATIENTS: Two hundred-twenty women who underwent LSH with or without bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO). Two hundred-twenty women who underwent TAH with or without BSO. Both groups had similar surgical indications and final pathology. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Women who underwent LSH had a shorter operating time than those in the TAH group (47.7 +/- 14.6 min vs 74.9 +/- 25.6 min). Hospital stay was significantly shorter in the LSH group, and those patients returned to work sooner. The operative complication rate 47 was higher in the TAH group (2.7% vs 0.9%). Postoperative complication rate for the TAH group was higher than the LSH group (25% vs zero). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy is a safe and effective surgical treatment for patients in need of a hysterectomy with or without BSO. The procedure can be performed in an outpatient setting. Patients experience a much quicker recovery than those who undergo TAH, and the complication rate is significantly lower. (c) 2005 AAGL. All rights reserved.