November 2016 · Volume 5 · Issue 11 Page 3915 International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology Sathiyakala R et al. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2016 Nov;5(11):3915-3918 www.ijrcog.org pISSN 2320-1770 | eISSN 2320-1789 Original Research Article Comparison of vaginal hysterectomy and laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy in women with benign uterine disease: a retrospective study Sathiyakala Rajendran*, Suguna Srinivasan, Karnaboopathy R. INTRODUCTION Hysterectomy is the most commonly performed gynaecological procedure. 1 About 70% of hysterectomies are performed for benign conditions such as fibroid uterus, uterine prolapse, adenomyosis, dysfunctional uterine bleeding etc. Hysterectomy can be done by abdominal, vaginal or laparoscopic approach. Based on the indications for surgery, surgeon’s training and preference, uterine size, presence or absence of associated pelvic pathologies and patient’s choice, the surgical route of approach is decided. Traditional vaginal hysterectomy (VH) is commonly preferred in patients with uterine size equivalent to or less than 12 weeks gestation, no history of previous surgery, normal adnexa and absence of associated pelvic pathologies. Nowadays, with advances in laparoscopic techniques, laparoscopic Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shri Sathya Sai medical college and research institute, Ammapettai 603108 Kancheepuram, Tamilnadu, India Received: 30 August 2016 Accepted: 28 September 2016 *Correspondence: Dr. Sathiyakala Rajendran, E-mail: sathya_jipmer@yahoo.co.in Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Background: Nowadays, there is a trend in favour of (laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy) LAVH even for patients in whom (vaginal hysterectomy) VH is feasible. Hence, this study is undertaken to compare the efficacy of LAVH and the traditional vaginal hysterectomy for the treatment of benign uterine disease and also to find out the advantage of LAVH over VH. Methods: The study population consists of patients who had undergone hysterectomy for benign uterine disease excluding prolapse of uterus. Medical records of patients who had undergone vaginal hysterectomy (50) and LAVH (50) without any medical illness and without previous surgical history (except sterilisation) were collected. Age, parity, indication for hysterectomy, operative time, intra operative and postoperative complications and duration of hospital stay were noted and compared between the two groups. Results: The mean operative time was significantly shorter in the VH group (83.7min) than in the LAVH group (128.7 min) and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.000). Total hospital stay was significantly longer in the VH group (7.1days) when compared to the LAVH group (4.9days) and the difference was found to be statistically significant (p<0.000). There were no intraoperative complications noted in both the groups. There was no significant difference in the minor postoperative complications (fever and spotting per vaginum) between the two groups. Conclusions: This study shows lesser operative time in VH group when compared to LAVH group and there is no added advantage in performing LAVH other than shorter hospital stay. Hence it is concluded that whenever feasible VH should be the preferred route of hysterectomy. Keywords: Benign uterine disease, Laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy, LAVH vs. VH, Vaginal hysterectomy DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20163864