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Major complications associated with laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy: ten-year experience
Chung-Chang Shen1, Ming-Ping Wu, Fu-Tsai Kung
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 4F-4, 123-6, Ta-Pei Road, Niao Sung Hsiang, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Study Objective:
To describe our experience with major complications associated with laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) and compare our results with those of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) membership survey and another similar study.
Design:
Retrospective study (Canadian Task Force classification II-3).
Setting:
University-affiliated hospital.
Patients:
Two thousand seven hundred two women. Intervention. LAVH.
Measurements And Main Results:
Demographic data and medical histories (age, parity, surgical indications, pathologic findings, major complications) were analyzed. Major complications were 11 bladder injuries, 4 ureter injuries, 11 bowel injuries, 2 vascular injuries, 2 cases of massive bleeding from the vaginal cuff or colpotomy wound with associated impending shock, 2 cases of postoperative ileus, and 2 pelvic abscesses. Our overall major complication rate was 1.3% compared with 2.7% in the AAGL 1995 membership survey (p <0.001). Similar rates of febrile morbidity (2.2% and 2.0%), bleeding requiring transfusion (0.05% and 0.06%), and bowel, ureteral, or bladder injury (1.0% and 1.0%) were noted between our study and the other 1995 study (all p >0.05). Of 34 major complications in our study, 24 occurred during hysterectomy performed by inexperienced general gynecologists and 10 by an experienced endoscopist (p = 0.005).
Conclusion:
The rate of major complications associated with LAVH can be reduced when the procedure is performed by a well-trained laparoscopic surgeon compared with a less-experienced general gynecologist.