Comparing vNOTES Hysterectomy with Laparoscopic Hysterectomy for Large Uteri

Study Objective

Our study aimed to compare conventional laparoscopic hysterectomies (LHs) with vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) hysterectomies performed for patients with large uteri (weight >280 g) at our institution, which underwent a change in practice from conventional LH to vNOTES for large uteri.

Design

Retrospective cohort.

Setting

French tertiary university hospital.

Patients

Two cohorts: the last 54 patients who underwent vNOTES hysterectomy and the last 52 patients who underwent conventional LH for large uteri.

Intervention

Baseline characteristics and surgical outcomes were assessed, including uterine weight, mode of delivery for previous pregnancies, history of abdominal surgery, indication for hysterectomy, associated procedures, operative time (OT), complications, volume of intraoperative bleeding, and length of postoperative hospital stay.

Measurements and Main Results

Both groups were comparable, with a mean uterine weight of 586.4 ± 289.2 g in the laparoscopy group compared with 686.7 ± 374.6 g in the vNOTES group. There was a significant decrease in the OT in the vNOTES group with a median of 99 minutes (66.5–138.5 minutes) compared with 171 minutes (131–208 minutes) in the laparoscopy group, p <.001. The length of hospital stay was also decreased in the vNOTES group with a median of 0.5 nights compared with 2 nights in the laparoscopy group, p <.001. More patients were managed in an ambulatory setting in the vNOTES group (50% vs 3.7%, p <.001). Our study did not find any significant difference in terms of bleeding or the number of conversions to another surgical approach. The frequency of intraoperative and postoperative complications was very low.

Conclusion

Compared with the laparoscopic approach, vNOTES hysterectomy for large uteri (>280 g) is associated with decreased OT, a shorter hospital stay, and increased performance in the ambulatory setting.