Effect of obesity on perioperative outcomes of laparoscopic hysterectomy

To compare the effect of obesity on perioperative outcomes in women undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy.

In this retrospective cohort study, perioperative outcomes of all women who underwent laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy (LSH) or total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) for benign conditions were compared between obese (body mass index > or = 30 kg/m2) and nonobese women.

Baseline characteristics were similar between 320 (33.0%) obese and 550 (67%) nonobese women except for race and the rates of hypertension and diabetes. The adjusted rates of urinary tract injury, vaginal cuff dehiscence, postoperative fever, and ileus were similar between the groups. For obese women, however, bleeding requiring transfusion was almost 3-fold (3.1 vs. 1.1%, adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10-7.80) and laparotomy risk was approximately 2-fold (7.5 vs. 3.5%, AOR 2.35, 95% CI 1.30-4.24) increased. The rate of urinary tract injury was 3.2% when obese women had TLH, but it was 0.3% for LSH performed on nonobese women. Of all 7 cuff dehiscences, 5 (71%) occurred in nonobese women undergoing TLH.

Obesity increased the risk of bleeding requiring transfusion and conversion to laparotomy but did not influence the other perioperative complications. On subgroup analysis, LSH in nonobese women seems to result in best outcomes.