Laparoscopic hysterotomy for a failed termination of pregnancy: a first case report with demonstration of a new surgical technique

Study objective: To show a new technique of hysterotomy via laparoscopy for a failed termination of pregnancy as an alternative for a hysterotomy via laparotomy.

Design: Step-by-step explanation of the technique using parts of the original video of the procedure (Canadian Task Force classification III).

Setting: A 39-year-old woman, para 1 gravida 2, was diagnosed with a trisomy 21 pregnancy at 18 weeks' gestation. After 7 days of failed medical and mechanical induction, including misoprostol per vaginam, intravenous sulprostone , intravenous oxytocin, a transcervical Foley catheter, and a transcervical Bakri balloon (Cooke Medical, Bloomington, IN), the decision was made to perform a laparoscopic hysterotomy.

Interventions: A laparoscopic hysterotomy was performed with extraction of the fetus and placenta in an endobag. The uterus was sutured using a double layer of 2 continuous Vicryl 1 sutures (Ethicon, Cincinnati, OH). The umbilical incision was enlarged to 2.5 cm to extract the endobags. The procedure was performed using only standard reusable laparoscopic equipment.

Follow-up: The patient's postoperative recovery was uneventful. On the postoperative ultrasound, we suspected that a small piece of placental tissue had been left in the uterine cavity. A hysteroscopy confirmed this and showed a normal uterine cavity. The small placental fragment regressed spontaneously on the follow-up ultrasounds. A 2-year follow-up of the patient has shown no minor or major complications. The patient has used contraception since the procedure because she has no further desire for childbearing.

Conclusion: This new technique can help surgeons avoid a laparotomy when a hysterotomy for a failed midtrimester termination of pregnancy is required. The risk of uterine rupture in a next pregnancy needs to be taken into account. This frugally innovative technique may potentially be performed in a low-resource setting because only standard reusable laparoscopic equipment was used.