Is vaginal hysterectomy feasible in women who have had previous pelvic surgery?

Summary

Summary

Despite the widely accepted belief that hysterectomy by the vaginal route has many advantages over the abdominal approach, most hysterectomies are done abdominally. One reason for this is a previous history of pelvic surgery which, it is thought, might make the vaginal procedure technically more difficult. This paper describes 378 women without prolapse who underwent simple vaginal hysterectomy. Using length of postoperative stay in hospital as a measure of morbidity there was no difference between the 64 who had undergone significant pelvic surgery in the past and the remaining 314. Previous pelvic surgery is not by itself a contraindication to hysterectomy by the vaginal route.