Publication:

Study on safety of non-descent vaginal hysterectomy for enlarged uterine size for benign uterine pathologies

Background Vaginal hysterectomy is less commonly performed for benign pathologies if the uterine size exceeds 12 weeks in the belief that complications could be higher in this group. The aim of this prospective study was to compare surgical outcomes and safety of vaginal hysterectomy in women with non-prolapsed uteri of >12 weeks size to those with uteri of 12 weeks), while the control group consisted of 60 women with uteri 0.05). The mean operative time was significantly longer in the index group (62.47min; vs 48.17 min; p 0.05). Intra- and post-operative complications such as blood transfusion and pelvic sepsis, post-operative febrile illness and systemic infections were comparable in both groups.

Conclusions Vaginal hysterectomy in larger non-prolapsed uteri takes longer to perform and is associated with more blood loss compared to uteri <12 weeks but is not associated with a significant increase in complication rates.