Laparoscopic-assisted hysterectomy in a rural Minnesota hospital

Hysterectomy remains a commonly performed gynecologic surgery. An estimated 650,000 women in the United States undergo surgical removal of the uterus annually at a considerable cost to patients, payers, and society at large. Currently, two-thirds of hysterectomies are performed by abdominal surgery and approximately one-third by vaginal surgery. Most research supports laparoscopic-assisted hysterectomy as a safe, effective, and less intrusive alternative to open surgery. Laparoscopy is far less costly, results in less pain, and has a much shorter recovery period. This paper discusses such advantages of the laparoscopic approach over the standard abdominal hysterectomy and reviews 158 laparoscopic-assisted hysterectomies performed at a 100-bed rural Minnesota hospital. Techniques, equipment, patient mix, and complications are discussed. Patients experienced few complications, and most left the hospital in 48 hours.