ABSTRACT
A 49-year-old perimenopausal female presented with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) and chronic lower abdominal pain with associated urinary urgency. The patient elected to have an abdominal supracervical hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for a large, symptomatic fibroid uterus. Preoperative ultrasounds revealed a uterine size of 22 x 20 x 17 cm and a 15.9 x 13 x 9 x 9.2 cm subserosal fibroid occupying the majority of the fundus and body of the uterus. Under general anesthesia, abdominal supracervical hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with a midline vertical incision were completed. Pathology reported a uterus with multiple leiomyomata as well as endometrial polyps with focal atypical endometrial hyperplasia and squamous metaplasia. Overall, the uterine corpus with one attached adnexa weighed 3433 g and was 25.8 x 20.3 x 15cm. Choice of surgical approach in a hysterectomy depends upon clinical circumstances, the surgeon's technical expertise, and patient preference. Although minimally invasive hysterectomies via vaginal and laparoscopic approaches are now preferred due to decreased hospitalization stays and postoperative recovering times, individualized treatment plans for patients should be considered depending on uterine size and the possibility of not achieving adequate exposure, which may lead to complications. As this case presents, an abdominal hysterectomy is an important option for certain patients where the use of other approaches could pose significant risk.
