Postoperative morbidity in cases of cervical conization followed by vaginal hysterectomy

In an attempt to define a group of patients at risk for relatively increased morbidity who have had vaginal hysterectomy after conization, we retrospectively analyzed patients who had hysterectomy for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Patients who had hysterectomy within 24 hours of conization had an overall morbidity rate of 42% and are compared to a second group of patients who had hysterectomy six weeks or more after conization, with a morbidity rate of 24%. A third group of patients who had hysterectomy without conization had an overall morbidity of 19%. These data suggest that a period of less than 24 hours from conization to hysterectomy, particularly in large teaching hospitals, leads to relatively greater morbidity.