Is hysterectomy indicated during prolapsus treatment?

Hysterectomy remains a usual procedure in vaginal reconstructive pelvic surgery. However, it may seem illogical, given our improved knowledge of the pathologic pelvic anatomy, to begin pelvic repair by a removal procedure. The question about uterine preservation during vaginal reconstructive surgery is crucial. Although some authors have proposed some arguments on this topic, we don't have, at present, any rigorous prospective and randomized studies able to prove the superiority of hysterectomy or uterine preservation, on tong-term anatomic results. Nevertheless, in reconstructive surgery with synthetic mesh, hysterectomy exposes to an increased risk of mesh exposure. Consequently, it increases blood lost, surgical duration and hospitalisation stay. On the other hand, uterine preservation imposes constant gynaecotogic follow-up. Subsequently, if a hysterectomy is needed for benign or malignant diseases, the surgery is often difficult because of prior uterine fixation. Subtotal hysterectomy which prevents endometrial cancer can be a possible alternative but, at the moment no study was able to demonstrate that uterine cervix has a rote in pelvic static. Functional results, influenced by biological individual characteristics and by the number of associated procedures, are even more difficult to analyse. Sexual life after hysterectomy has been the subject of numerous publications of unequal scientific quality. Among correctly evaluated and informed patients, hysterectomy do not seem to produce negative consequences on sexuality; it can even improve, in some circumstances, the sexual Life. We can admit that cervical conservation in some women may have a rote in terms of pleasure, more from sexual fantasies and ballistic reasons than in relation with organic and physiologic reasons. Since no rigorous and specifically oriented works on that topic have been published until now, it seems justified today to promote prospective and randomized studies, advice against systematic attitudes, favour uterine conservation in young women and when doing surgery with mesh, realize a complete gynaecologic work-up before all uterine conservation decisions, correctly inform the patient and respect her preference. (C) 2007 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits reserves.