The Journal of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists
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J Am Assoc Gynecol Laparosc · Feb 1994
Comparative StudyLaparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy: a case control comparative study with total abdominal hysterectomy.
We compared laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) with total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) in a case control study that evaluated length of operation, blood loss, length of hospital stay, drug requirements for pain, and postoperative pain and activity levels. Of 81 women who underwent nonradical hysterectomy for a primary diagnosis of pelvic pain between June 1 and December 31, 1992, 19 who underwent each procedure were chosen for inclusion in the study. Patients were matched in a case control manner with age, weight, diagnosis, and uterine weight. ⋯ The length of stay was 2.125 days for LAVH and 3.542 days for TAH (p <0.001). On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being complete normal activity) the activity level of women undergoing LAVH was 9.2 by day 14 compared with 6.4 for those having TAH (p <0.005). By the sixth postoperative week the latter group reported an activity level of only 8.5, indicating that the ability to function is much more severely limited after TAH than LAVH.