To Robot or Not To Robot: The Use of Robotics in Benign Gynecologic Surgery.

The use of robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery has continued to grow since the Food and Drug Administration approval for robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery in 2005. However, despite this growth in utilization, the data supporting its use in benign gynecologic surgery has not strongly supported its advantages over conventional laparoscopy. Controversy exists between supporters of robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery and conventional laparoscopy. This article discusses the current literature regarding the use of robotic-assisted surgery in benign gynecologic surgery.

Effects of Shared Decision Making on Opioid Prescribing After Hysterectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of shared decision making using a simple decision aid for opioid prescribing after hysterectomy. METHODS: We conducted a prospective quality initiative study including all patients undergoing hysterectomy for benign, nonobstetric indications between March 1, 2018, and July 31, 2018, at our academic institution. Using a visual decision aid, patients received uniform education regarding postoperative pain management. They were then educated on the department's guidelines regarding the maximum number of tablets recommended per prescription and the mean number of opioid tablets used by a similar cohort of patients in a previously published study at our institution. Patients were then asked to choose their desired number of tablets to receive on discharge. Structured telephone interviews were conducted 14 days after surgery. The primary outcome was total opioids prescribed before compared with after implementation of the decision aid. Secondary outcomes included opioid consumption, patient satisfaction, and refill requests after intervention implementation. RESULTS: Of 170 eligible patients, 159 (93.5%) used the decision aid (one patient who used the decision aid was subsequently excluded from the analysis owing to significant perioperative complications), including 110 (69.6%) laparoscopic, 40 (25.3%) vaginal, and eight (5.3%) abdominal hysterectomies. Telephone surveys were completed for 89.2% (n=141) of participants. Student's t-test showed that patients who participated in the decision aid (post-decision aid cohort) were discharged with significantly fewer oral morphine equivalents than patients who underwent hysterectomy before implementation of the decision aid (pre-decision aid cohort) (92±35 vs 160±81, P<.01), with no significant change in the number of requested refills (9.5% [n=15] vs 5.7% [n=14], P=.15). In the post-decision aid cohort, 76.6% of patients (n=121) chose fewer tablets than the guideline-allotted maximum. Approximately 76% of patients (n=102) reported having leftover tablets. CONCLUSION: This quality improvement initiative illustrates that a simple decision aid can result in a significant decrease in opioid prescribing without compromising patient satisfaction or postoperative pain management.

Opioid Prescribing Patterns, Patient Use, and Postoperative Pain After Hysterectomy for Benign Indications.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify physician prescribing patterns and patient opioid use in the 2 weeks after hysterectomy at an academic institution and to determine whether patient factors predict postsurgical opioid use and pain recovery. METHODS: We conducted a prospective quality initiative study by recruiting all English-speaking patients undergoing hysterectomy for benign, nonobstetric indications at a university hospital between August 2015 and December 2015, excluding those with major medical morbidities or substance abuse. Before hysterectomy, patients completed the Fibromyalgia Survey, a validated measure of centralized pain. After hysterectomy, opioid use (converted to oral morphine equivalents) and pain scores (0-10 numeric rating scale) were collected by a daily diary and a structured telephone interview 14 days after surgery. Primary outcomes were total opioid prescribed and consumed in the 2 weeks after hysterectomy. Secondary outcomes included daily opioid use and daily pain severity for 14 days after hysterectomy. RESULTS: Of 103 eligible patients, 102 (99%) agreed to participate, including 44 (43.1%) laparoscopic, 42 (41.2%) vaginal, and 16 (15.7%) abdominal hysterectomies. Telephone surveys were completed on 89 (87%) participants; diaries were returned from 60 (59%) participants. Diary nonresponders had different baseline characteristics than nonresponders. Median amount of opioid prescribed was 200 oral morphine equivalents (interquartile range 150-250). Patients reported using approximately half of the opioids prescribed with a median excess of 110 morphine equivalents (interquartile range 40-150). The best fit model of total opioid consumption identified preoperative Fibromyalgia Survey Score, overall body pain, preoperative opioid use, prior endometriosis, abdominal hysterectomy (compared with laparoscopic), and uterine weight as significant predictors. Highest tertile of Fibromyalgia Survey Score was associated with greater daily opioid consumption (13.9 [95% CI 3.0-24.8] greater oral morphine equivalents at baseline, P=.02). CONCLUSION: Gynecologists at a large academic medical center prescribe twice the amount of opioids than the average patient uses after hysterectomy. A personalized approach to prescribing opioids for postoperative pain should be considered.

Patients' Knowledge and Perceptions of Morcellation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Morcellation has received increased media and professional attention, but it remains unclear how much the average patient knows about this topic. We sought to evaluate patients' knowledge of morcellation, assess their perceptions of the risks and benefits, and determine how these perceptions affect their decision regarding the route of surgery. METHODS: Anonymous paper surveys were administered to 500 patients attending gynecologic appointments at the University of Michigan. Survey questions gathered demographic information and assessed knowledge of various surgical approaches for hysterectomy and myomectomy. Questions regarding patients' knowledge of morcellation explored various types of morcellation and the risks and benefits of this procedure. RESULTS: Of the 500 surveys administered, 396 patients answered at least 1 survey question resulting in a response rate of 79.2%. The mean ± SD age of respondents was 47.0 ± 14.1 years, 80.8% were white, and 83.1% had completed some college. Only 8.3% of patients reported that they had ever heard of morcellation. Even among women who were actively considering a hysterectomy or myomectomy (n = 33) or those who had undergone a hysterectomy or myomectomy (n = 98), only 12.1 and 7.1%, respectively, had heard of morcellation. Of those who had heard of morcellation (n = 32), only 9.4% correctly identified the definition in a multiple-choice question. Only 4.0% of women would choose an abdominal approach to avoid morcellation. CONCLUSIONS: Patients have very little knowledge about morcellation and most patients have never heard of the procedure. Very few patients would refuse morcellation and opt for an abdominal surgery instead.

Risk Factors for Emergency Department Visits After Hysterectomy for Benign Disease.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the incidence, indications, and risk factors for emergency department visits that do not result in readmission within 30 days of hysterectomy for benign disease. METHODS: We conducted a secondary data analysis of hysterectomies for benign disease using the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative, a statewide group of hospitals that voluntarily reports perioperative outcomes. Hysterectomies for benign disease were abstracted from January 1, 2013, to July 2, 2014. We examined the incidence of emergency department visits within 30 days after hysterectomy for benign disease and constructed a multivariable logistic regression model to identify risk factors for these visits. We focused on emergency department visits that did not result in readmission because they are more likely to represent avoidable encounters. RESULTS: Among the 10,274 women who underwent hysterectomy for benign disease during the study period, 932 (9.1%) presented to the emergency department and were not readmitted to the hospital. Based on a multivariable regression model, risk factors for emergency department visits after hysterectomy for benign disease were younger age, higher parity, Medicaid or self-pay insurance, prior venous thromboembolism, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, preoperative surgical indication of chronic pelvic pain, and postoperative day 1 pain scores greater than 4 on a 0-10 numeric rating scale. The most common primary emergency department International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision diagnoses were for pain (29.5% [n=275]), gastrointestinal (12.8% [n=118]), and genitourinary (10.7% [n=99]) complaints. CONCLUSION: Approximately 1 in 11 women present to the emergency department, but do not result in readmission within 30 days of hysterectomy for benign disease. Emergency department visits might be avoided with expanded perioperative education and improved communication pathways for high-risk patients.

Risk Factors and Outcomes for Conversion to Laparotomy of Laparoscopic Hysterectomy in Benign Gynecology.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the incidence and factors for conversion to laparotomy in women scheduled for laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign gynecologic indications and to examine the effect of conversion on patient outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of a Michigan multicenter prospective database was abstracted from January 1, 2013, through July 2, 2014. Participants were collected from an all-payer quality and safety database maintained by the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative. Women with a preoperative indication of cancer or obstetric indications were excluded. A logistic regression model was used to calculate odds of conversion using patient preoperative and intraoperative attributes. RESULTS: During the study period, 6,992 women underwent an attempted laparoscopic hysterectomy with 3.93% (n=275) converted to laparotomy. After adjusting for socioeconomic differences, hysterectomy indication, and intraoperative factors, there were decreased odds of conversion to laparotomy with use of robotic-assisted laparoscopy compared with traditional laparoscopy (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.07-0.25) with a predicted risk of conversion of 0.8% compared with 5.4% (P<.001). High-volume surgeons were less likely to convert to laparotomy compared with low- and medium-volume surgeons (adjusted OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.47-0.92) with a predicted risk of conversion of 1.4% compared with 2.25% (P=.015). Conversion was associated with moderate or severe adhesive disease and increasing specimen weight. Conversion was associated with increased rates of surgical site infection, blood transfusion, severe sepsis, and reoperation. CONCLUSION: This analysis demonstrates that conversion to laparotomy is associated with increased odds of postoperative morbidity, and robotic assistance and surgeon volume are strongly associated with decreased odds of conversion.

A Favorability Score for Vaginal Hysterectomy in a Statewide Collaborative.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Because it is associated with fewer complications and more rapid recovery, the vaginal approach is preferred for benign hysterectomy. Patient characteristics that traditionally favor a vaginal approach include adequate vaginal access, small uterine size, and low suspicion for extrauterine disease. However, the low proportion of hysterectomies performed vaginally in the United States suggests that these data are not routinely applied in clinical practice. We sought to analyze the association of parity, prior pelvic surgery, and uterine weight with the use of the vaginal, laparoscopic, robotic, and abdominal approaches to hysterectomy. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). SETTING: The Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative is a statewide organization of 52 academic and community hospitals in Michigan funded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan/Blue Care Network, including patients from all insurance payers. PATIENTS: Five thousand six hundred eight women undergoing hysterectomy for benign gynecologic conditions from January 1, 2013, through December 8, 2013, and included in the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative. INTERVENTIONS: To assess potential for vaginal hysterectomy, a favorability score of 0, 1, 2, or 3 was calculated by summing 1 point each for parity ≥1, no prior pelvic surgery, and uterine weight <250 g. Frequencies of surgical approaches to hysterectomy were compared using chi-square tests across favorability scores. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The use of robotic hysterectomy was most frequent (41.9%, n = 2349/5608) followed by abdominal (19.7%, n = 1103/5608), laparoscopic (14.4%, n = 809/5608), vaginal (13.5%, n = 758/5608), and laparoscopic-assisted vaginal (10.5%, n = 589/5608) hysterectomy. With favorability scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3, vaginal hysterectomy was performed in 0.6% (n = 1/167), 5% (n = 66/1324), 13.7% (n = 415/3036), and 25.5% (n = 276/1081) of cases and abdominal hysterectomy in 41.9% (n = 70/167), 30.8% (n = 408/1324), 17.5% (n = 531/3036), and 8.7% (n = 94/1081), respectively. There was little variation in the rates of laparoscopic hysterectomy (13.3%-16.8%, p = .429) and robotic hysterectomy (39.5%-42.4%, p = .518) across favorability scores. CONCLUSION: In a population of women undergoing hysterectomy in the state of Michigan, the use of vaginal and abdominal hysterectomy varied with respect to parity, prior pelvic surgery, and uterine weight, but there was little variation in the use of laparoscopic and robotic approaches. The favorability score could potentially be used as a quality improvement tool to evaluate practice patterns with respect to the use of various surgical approaches to hysterectomy.

New paradigms in the diagnosis and management of endometriosis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Endometriosis is a common gynecologic condition estimated to affect 10-15% of reproductive-aged women, 30% of women with subfertility, and 80% of women with chronic pelvic pain. Although mainstays of diagnosis and treatment are still commonly applied, there have been various advances in the modalities of diagnosis and management of this complex condition. This article provides an updated review of novel findings regarding the diagnosis and management of this challenging disease. RECENT FINDINGS: Despite an abundance of studies on noninvasive diagnostic markers for endometriosis, there is no single imaging study, biomarker or panel of biomarkers that has been validated for clinical diagnosis. New technologies, such as use of indocyanine green and fluorescence, which visualize neovascularization often associated with endometriosis may improve diagnostic detection of endometriosis at the time surgery, but have not been demonstrated to improve pain outcomes after surgery. Hormone suppression remains the mainstay therapy prior to and following surgery. Although most methods demonstrate similar efficacy in reducing endometriosis-associated pain, newer pharmacologic agents that may prove advantageous include oral gonadotropin receptor antagonists, selective progesterone receptor modulators, and angiogenesis inhibitors. SUMMARY: Although there have been some advances in the study of noninvasive imaging and biomarkers, more investigation into effective modalities are being conducted and are needed.

Prevalence of Endometriosis During Abdominal or Laparoscopic Hysterectomy for Chronic Pelvic Pain.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of surgically confirmed endometriosis in women undergoing laparoscopic or abdominal hysterectomy, including those with and without preoperative indications of chronic pelvic pain or endometriosis, and to describe characteristics and operative findings associated with surgically confirmed endometriosis in women undergoing hysterectomy for chronic pelvic pain. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed with 9,622 women who underwent laparoscopic or abdominal hysterectomy for benign indications in the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative from January 1, 2013, to July 2, 2014. The prevalence of surgically confirmed endometriosis, determined by review of the operative report and surgical pathology, was calculated for the entire cohort and for subgroups of women with and without chronic pelvic pain or endometriosis. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify characteristics associated with surgically confirmed endometriosis at the time of hysterectomy among women with chronic pelvic pain. RESULTS: Of the 9,622 hysterectomies available for analysis during the study period, 15.2% (n=1,465) had endometriosis at the time of hysterectomy. Among the 3,768 women with a preoperative indication of chronic pelvic pain, fewer than one in four had endometriosis (806/3,768 [21.4%]). Even among those with preoperative indication of endometriosis, many women did not actually have endometriosis at the time of hysterectomy (527/1,232 [42.8%]). The rate of unexpected endometriosis in women without a preoperative indication of chronic pelvic pain or endometriosis was 8.0% (434/5,457). Among women with a preoperative indication of chronic pelvic pain (n=3,786), multivariate analysis showed endometriosis was more common in women of younger age, white race, lower body mass index, and those who failed another treatment previously. Among those with pelvic pain, oophorectomy was more commonly performed in women with surgically confirmed endometriosis than those without (47.4% compared with 33.3%, P<.001). CONCLUSION: Fewer than 25% of women undergoing laparoscopic or abdominal hysterectomy for chronic pelvic pain have endometriosis at the time of surgery.