Comparative outcomes of hysterectomy using single-port umbilical laparoscopy versus vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery

Abstract

Background: This study compared two minimally invasive hysterectomy techniques-single-port umbilical laparoscopy (SPLS) and vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES)-in terms of operating time, blood loss, postoperative pain, and hospitalization duration.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent hysterectomy via SPLS or vNOTES. Inclusion criteria were patients who had a hysterectomy with bilateral salpingectomy, with additional procedures such as salpingo-oophorectomy or sentinel lymph node dissection as indicated.

Results: Among the 121 patients studied, 63 underwent SPLS and 58 underwent vNOTES. The mean operative time was 67.3 ± 15.9 min for vNOTES and 75.7 ± 12.1 min for SPLS. Six patients (9.5%) in the SPLS group and four (6.9%) in the vNOTES group underwent sentinel lymph node biopsies for endometrial cancer. Pain assessment at six, 12, and 24 h after surgery indicated lower visual analog scale (VAS) scores in the vNOTES group. Notably, patients in that group reported reduced shoulder and umbilical pain at 24 h postoperatively. Those patients also showed improved sexual function index scores and reduced dyspareunia, although the differences were not statistically significant.

Conclusions: The vNOTES approach to hysterectomy is a viable alternative, characterized by shorter operative times and decreased postoperative pain without increasing complication rates.

Keywords: Hysterectomy; laparoscopy; minimally invasive surgery; single-port umbilical laparoscopy; vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery.