Total laparoscopic hysterectomy in cases of very large uteri: a retrospective comparative study

Abstract

In this review, we assessed the feasibility of total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) in cases of very large uteri weighting more than 500 grams. We compared surgical outcomes and short term follow-up in 149 patients with the uterus weighing less than 350 g (group A: 40-350 g) and 100 patients with the uterus weighing more than 500 g (group B: 500-1550 g). We discovered no statistical difference between the 2 groups in terms of intraoperative complications (group A: 0%; group B: 2%) and postoperative stay (group A: 3.05 +/- 1.89 days; group B: 3.2 +/- 1.28 days). There were statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of operative time (group A: 101.3 +/- 34.3 min; group B: 149.1 +/- 57.2 min.; p <.0001) and postoperative hospital stay length (group A: 2.8 +/- 0.7 days; group B: 3.5 +/- 1.7 days; p <.0001). No major complications occurred in either group. Postoperative minor complications were more frequent in group B (group A: 8.7%; group B: 18%; p = .03). Median time to well-being was comparable in both groups. In conclusion, TLH is a feasible surgical technique also in cases of very large uteri. An increase in operative time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay length, and postoperative minor complications can be expected as the uterine weight increases.