Outcome of Burch retropubic urethropexy and the effect of concomitant abdominal hysterectomy: a prospective long-term follow-up study.

A prospective follow-up study was performed to evaluate the effect of a concomitant abdominal hysterectomy with Burch colposuspension. Sixty-five women underwent Burch colposuspension (the Burch group) and 78 women colposuspension with concomitant abdominal hysterectomy (the hysterectomy group) during a 1-year period in Turku University Hospital. Subjective outcome was assessed with three questionnaires: at 6 weeks, 1 year, and a mean of 4.9 years after the operation. Complications related to the operation occurred in 19 patients (29.2%) in the Burch group and in 36 (46.2%) in the hysterectomy group (P = 0.038). No statistically significant difference in the frequency of any subgroup of complications was found. Instead, complications cumulated to fewer patients in the Burch group. During postoperative care in the hospital intermittent catheterization to treat transient urinary retention was needed more frequently in the Burch group than in the hysterectomy group (10.8% vs. 1.3%, P = 0.046). No significant difference was found in subjective short- and long-term outcome. In the long-term follow-up 79% were subjectively cured or improved, 77% in the Burch group and 81% in the hysterectomy group.

Incidence, risk factors and outcome of infection in a 1-year hysterectomy cohort: a prospective follow-up study.

A prospective study was performed following 687 patients who underwent abdominal, vaginal and laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign conditions in Turku University Hospital. This study evaluates and compares infection after hysterectomy and determines risk factors associated with postoperative infection. Infective episodes were recorded during hospital stay, convalescence for 4 to 6 weeks at home and for 1 year of follow-up. Factors found to be statistically significant for hospital-acquired infection on univariate analysis were subsequently assessed by means of multivariate analysis. During the hospital stay 23.7% of the study population became infected, 38.1% after vaginal hysterectomy, 23.4% after abdominal hysterectomy and 3.0% after laparoscopic hysterectomy. Over half of all hospital-acquired infections were lower urinary tract infections. Infection during convalescence occurred in 19.2% of patients: 29.5% in the vaginal hysterectomy group, 17.4% in the abdominal hysterectomy group and 16.7% in the laparoscopic hysterectomy group. One year of follow-up did not find any infection directly attributable to surgery. Five factors were found to be related to in-hospital infection on multivariate analysis. These were lack of antibiotic prophylaxis, blood loss during operation, intermittent catheterization, anaemia and medication for urinary or bowel dysfunction after operation.

Complications and long-term outcomes after adnexal surgery by laparotomy and laparoscopy.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess complications and subjective outcomes after adnexal surgery by laparotomy and laparoscopy. DESIGN: Observational study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). SETTING: University-affiliated hospital. PATIENTS: Two-hundred twenty-eight women requiring adnexal surgery for benign indications. INTERVENTIONS: The 114 patients who underwent laparotomy and 114 having laparoscopy were followed prospectively for 1 year. Two questionnaire-based evaluations were undertaken to determine subjective outcomes. To evaluate possible later surgical procedures, hospital records were reviewed 4 years after operation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: No major complications occurred in the laparotomy group. The two (1.8%) in the laparoscopy group were intestinal injury and aortal injury, both in women who had previously undergone laparotomy. Rates of minor complications were 11.4% for laparotomy and 7.0% for laparoscopy. Two patients in both groups were readmitted. No difference was found between groups in need for additional adnexal procedures up to 4 years after operation. After 1 year, frequencies of subjective complaints and satisfaction with surgical procedure did not differ significantly. Mean hospital cost per patient was less for laparoscopy than for laparotomy. CONCLUSION: No statistically significant differences were seen after adnexal surgery by laparoscopy and laparotomy with regard to frequency of complications and subjective outcomes. Laparoscopy in women who have previously undergone laparotomy may be associated with a slightly greater risk of major complications than another laparotomy.

One-year cohort of abdominal, vaginal, and laparoscopic hysterectomies: complications and subjective outcomes.

BACKGROUND: In the past decade, changes in operative approaches to hysterectomy have resulted in needs to renew study of postoperative morbidity. STUDY DESIGN: This prospective observational study, performed in a university teaching hospital in Finland, was conducted to determine the overall number of complications and subjective outcomes after hysterectomy for benign conditions. The population studied during a 1-year period consisted of 687 women, who underwent 516 abdominal hysterectomies, 105 vaginal hysterectomies, and 66 laparoscopic hysterectomies. Complications arising within 1 year of operations were recorded, and subjective complaints and outcomes were assessed using two questionnaire-based evaluations, the first following a convalescence period of 4 to 6 weeks, the second after 1 year. RESULTS: Intraoperative complications occurred in 16 patients (2.3%), in 9 patients in the abdominal hysterectomy group (1.7%), and in 4 (3.9%) and 3 patients (4.5%) in the vaginal and laparoscopic hysterectomy groups, respectively. During the hospital stay postoperative complications were found in 28.5% of patients, in the vaginal hysterectomy group (41.9%) more often than in the abdominal and laparoscopic hysterectomy groups (28.3% and 9.1%, respectively). Postoperative infection, including urinary infection, was the main problem, during both the stay in the hospital and the convalescence period at home. It was also the principal reason for readmission to the hospital. Despite an increase in incidence of subjective complaints, from 14.9% during the first evaluation to 37.0% during the second (p < 0.001), 95% of respondents remained satisfied with their operation after 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Vaginal hysterectomy was more often associated with some adverse event, mainly postoperative infection, than abdominal and laparoscopic hysterectomy. Subjective outcomes were not influenced by the type of hysterectomy. Most patients were satisfied with the operation on both short- and longterm followup.

Outcome of short stay surgery in conventional gynecological operations.

BACKGROUND: To find out the suitability of increasingly common short stay surgery in major conventional gynecological operations. METHODS: A retrospective study of sixty-six patients who underwent major conventional gynecological operations on a short stay basis between January 1990 and December 1992, in a private hospital, at Turku, Finland, were enrolled to the study. The length of the operation, the time of hospitalization, the duration of the sick leave and possible complications were retrospectively studied. The postoperative long-term outcome and the satisfaction of the patients with short stay surgery was evaluated with a questionnaire. RESULTS: The patients were hospitalized for mean 2.6 days. There were no peroperative complications but four patients (6%) needed rehospitalization because of postoperative problems. Five minor complications (two wound infections and three urinary tract infections) were treated in outpatients after discharge. All patients were satisfied with the short stay surgery. The day of discharge was considered suitable by 80% of the patients and most of the patients (97%) would also recommend similar treatment to their acquaintances. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that short stay surgery in major gynecological operations can be considered as an alternative to conventional hospitalization.

Hospital stay due to various hysterectomies, caesarean section and normal delivery in Turku University Central Hospital area from 1983 to 1992.

The optimal length of hospital stay in obstetrics and gynaecology has recently been much debated, as short hospitalisation times being commonly introduced as alternatives to conventional hospitalisations. The hospital stay for major gynaecological and obstetric surgery as well as normal delivery was studied in the hospitals working in area of the Turku University Central Hospital (population approximately 750,000). In the six studied hospitals the mean hospital stay for abdominal and vaginal hysterectomy decreased during the 1980s by one fifth. In 1992, the mean hospitalisation for hysterectomy varied from 7.4 to 8.3 and from 9.0 to 9.1 days, for abdominal and vaginal hysterectomy, respectively, and that of caesarean section from 8.1 to 8.6 days. The number of days in hospital required for normal delivery was 4.4-6.2 days. These figures are similar to the corresponding national average in Finland, but they also show that the discharge in our country occurs some 2 to 3 times later than what has recently been reported, e.g. from the U.S.A. Consequently, we find that there is a need for a prospective trial to find out how rational short hospitalisation is in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology in Finland.