RESUMO
To assess if laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy [LSH] had any advantage over traditional total abdominal hysterectomy [TAH] carried out for benign conditions. This prospective case control study was carried out between June 2005 and October 2006 in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Zagazig University Hospitals, Zagazig, Egypt. Twenty-eight women operated upon by LSH were compared to 56 women who had undergone TAH. Variables compared were patient's age, weight, preoperative diagnosis, number of previous laparotomies, operative time, intra/post-operative complications, blood loss, uterine weight, hospital stay, need for analgesia, and resumption of normal activity. Patient's demographics were similar in both groups. The operative time was longer in the LSH group [93.7 +/- 5.7 versus 69.0 +/- 6.8 min, p=0.001]. Other operative and post-operative parameters were similar except that LSH patients showed shorter hospital stay [1.7 +/- 0.5 versus 4.0 +/- 0.7 days], time to resume normal activity [20.8 +/- 2.6 versus 50.0 +/- 7.9 days] and lower dose of post-operative analgesia [141.7 +/- 62.4 versus 282.0 +/- 87.4mg diclofenac], [p=0.001]. Laparoscopic supra cervical hysterectomy is a safe procedure and should be considered, if hysterectomy will be carried out for a benign condition with healthy cervix. A further larger study is needed to confirm these findings