EXTRA CORPOREAL ABDOMINAL HYSTERECTOMY: VIA MINI LAPAROTOMY AN ALTERNATIVE TO LAPAROSCOPIC UTERINE REMOVAL

Objective: The purpose of this new surgical approach to abdominal hysterectomy is to present the technique and evaluate the advantages of this procedure.Materials and Methods: Fifty-two women candidate to abdominal hysterectomy due to fibroids, endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain were included in the study. A special new technique “extra corporeal hysterectomy”, was performed under mini laparotomy.Technique: Surgical approach is simply to use a 4 cm transverse incision on the skin after opening the abdominal wall; the round and infundibulo-pelvic ligaments are tagged, incised, sutured and removed, before the uterus is pulled out. Lower level ligaments and vessels are prepared after the uterus is pulled out tightly from the abdominal incision. And the rest of the operation is performed in the usual manner.Results and Conclusion: We concluded that extra corporeal abdominal hysterectomy is a safer, simpler, shorter and more cost-effective surgical procedure in comparison to laparoscopic hysterectomy. For all the patients the postoperative period and the three to five year followup was uneventful.(Accepted 3 July, 2001)Key Words: Hysterectomy, Laparoscopy, Mini-laparotomy