Study objective: To compare short- and long-term clinical results of laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) and total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH).
Design: Retrospective cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-1).
Setting: University-affiliated hospital.
Patients: One hundred fifty women who underwent LAVH and 146 who underwent TAH.
Intervention: Hysterectomy.
Measurements and main results: Blood loss during surgery, narcotic analgesic consumption, duration of hospital stay, and convalescence time were significantly higher for women who underwent TAH than for those who underwent LAVH (p <0.05). Operating time was significantly longer for LAVH than for TAH (152.2 +/- 32.4 vs 96.5 +/- 29.6 min, p = 0.014). Eight-year follow-up showed no statistically significant differences in vaginal vault prolapse, cystocele, rectocele, enterocele, postcoital spotting, and cuff granulation between procedures (p >0.05).
Conclusions: Although short-term clinical results revealed some statistically significant differences between LAVH and TAH, long-term follow-up recorded similar frequencies of surgical sequelae.