Vaginal hysterectomy and relative merits over abdominal and laparoscopically assisted hysterectomy

Hysterectomy is the most common operative procedure for benign gynaecological disease. The choice of hysterectomy will highlight the surgeon's mental attitude and surgical dexterity in offering the patient the safest cost-effective and reliable procedure. At present, abdominal hysterectomy is the most common method of hysterectomy, but evidence shows that patients prefer vaginal hysterectomy. With the advent of laparoscopic hysterectomy and improved surgical equipment and laparoscopic training programmes, laparoscopic hysterectomy provides equally effective hysterectomy; the patient should, therefore, have the benefit of either vaginal hysterectomy or laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy in preference to abdominal hysterectomy.