Laparoscopic hysterectomy: the Kaiser Permanente San Diego experience.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient and surgical characteristics of laparoscopic hysterectomy (LH), including both total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) and laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy (LSH), compared with total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH).

DESIGN: Retrospective, comparative study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).

SETTING: Health maintenance organization/residency-training program.

PATIENTS: One hundred eight patients who underwent TLH, 251 patients who underwent LSH, and 255 patients who underwent TAH. There was no randomized controlled system to assign patients to the three types of hysterectomy. Patients with ancillary procedures were excluded from all three groups. The study period included February 2000 through September 2002.

INTERVENTION: Hysterectomy.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Analysis of covariance revealed that laparoscopic procedures require significantly more time to complete than TAH. Adjusted differences were 46.4 minutes longer for TLH (p <.0001) and 38.3 minutes longer for LSH (p <.0001). The adjusted estimated blood loss was 91.0 mL less with TLH (p <.0001) and 72.6 mL less with LSH (p < .0001) than with TAH. The hospital lengths of stay were significantly shorter for LH compared with TAH. The adjusted differences were 41.7 hours less with TLH (p <.0001) and 45.1 hours less with LSH (p <.0001). Rates of major complications were 5.6% with TLH, 0.8% with LSH, and 8.2% with TAH. Rates of minor complications were 17.6% with TLH, 16.7% with LSH, and 14.1% with TAH. Rates of any complication were 21.3% with TLH, 17.1% with LSH, and 20.8% with TAH. (Note: some patients in each group had both a minor and a major complication, so that minor and major complications do not exactly add up to "any complication.") The readmission rates for TLH, LSH, and TAH were 5.6%, 1.2%, and 2.0%, respectively. Same-day discharge for TLH and LSH occurred in 16.7% and 25.1% of patients, respectively. The variables indicating minor complications, any complications, wound infections, urinary tract infections, readmissions, and same-day discharges (in the laparoscopic groups) were not differentiated by surgery type. Major complications were differentiated by procedure class; namely, total hysterectomy (TLH and TAH) had significantly more major complications than LSH (adjusted p = .001). Wound abscesses (16 patients) occurred only in the TAH group (adjusted p <.0001). Pelvic cellulitis (17 patients) occurred in all surgical groups, but was more likely to occur in the LH groups (adjusted p = .01).

CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic hysterectomy, both total and supracervical, can be successfully integrated into a large health maintenance organization/residency-training program. Laparoscopic hysterectomy took significantly longer to perform than TAH in this new program. Estimated blood loss was significantly less with LH than with TAH. Hospital length of stay was significantly less with LH than TAH. Major complications with TLH, minor complications with LH, overall complications, wound infections, urinary tract infections, and readmissions appear comparable with these parameters in TAH within the limits of our study size and design. Pelvic cellulitis was significantly more common with LH, and wound abscess was significantly more common with TAH. Major complications were significantly less common with LSH compared with combined TLH and TAH. Same-day discharge after LH seems to be an attractive option worth developing further. Our patients have enthusiastically accepted these new minimally invasive techniques for performing hysterectomy. We anticipate continued expansion of our LH program.