Morcellation During Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomies: Implications of the Use of a Contained Bag System

This study sought to report the feasibility and clinical implications of in-bag morcellation for total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH).

Women who required uterine morcellation during TLH from January 2017 to December 2018 (at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec - CHUL, Québec, QC) were included. Women with a preoperative suspicion of malignancy were excluded (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).

During the 2-year study period, uterine morcellation was required in 42% (106 of 252) of women undergoing TLH. Mean uterine weight of morcellated uterus was 541 ± 291 g, with 11 of 106 uteri weighing >1000 g. In-bag morcellation was attempted in 84 of 106 (79%) and successfully performed in 79 of 84 (94%) women. Failures resulted from inability to insert the specimen into the bag or apparent perforation. Uncontained morcellation was chosen for 22 of 106 (21%) women, most of whom underwent vaginal morcellation of the uterus. Total operative time was 40 minutes longer for the in-bag morcellation group (170 ± 48 vs. 130 ± 43 min; P < 0.001), although this difference can be partly explained by the higher mean uterine size compared with the uncontained morcellation group (580 ± 309 vs. 391 ± 122 g; P = 0.01). In a subgroup analysis of 16 women, the mean times of installation and extraction of the bag were estimated to be 17 ± 9 and 4 ± 3 minutes, respectively. Complications were infrequent (2 of 106) and occurred in the in-bag morcellation group.

In-bag morcellation is feasible in a high proportion of women undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy and is associated with an increase in operative time. Larger studies will be required in order to better assess the risk of complications with in-bag morcellation and the potential benefits of this technique, namely, reducing the spread of tissue.