Isobaric NOTES hysterectomy: an alternative to transvaginal NOTES hysterectomy.

Objective: Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) for hysterectomy conventionally requires CO2 pneumoperitoneum via a transvaginal port, presenting challenges such as gas leakage and increased procedural complexity. We introduced isobaric NOTES hysterectomy (iNH) as an alternative to transvaginal NOTES hysterectomy (vNH) to eliminate the need for CO2 pneumoperitoneum.

Methods: Between December 2014 and July 2018, 137 patients with benign uterine conditions underwent iNH or single-port laparoscopy-assisted vaginal hysterectomies (SP-LAVH). Clinical outcomes were retrospectively compared.

Results: Of 137 patients, 59 underwent iNH and 78 underwent SP-LAVH. All iNH procedures were completed without conversion, except for one hybrid NOTES case, with no intraoperative complications reported in the iNH group. While the median operative times and uterine weights were comparable between the groups, iNH demonstrated significantly lower median blood loss, reduced hemoglobin changes on postoperative day 1, and shorter hospital stay than SP-LAVH.

Conclusion: Using a single-hole vaginal platform without pneumoperitoneum, iNH combines the simplicity of vaginal hysterectomy with the visual advantages of vNH. Therefore, it is a distinct method within the transvaginal hysterectomy spectrum. Further studies are warranted to delineate the specific iNH advantages over conventional pneumoperitoneum-based vNOTES.