Laparoscopic hysterectomy: total or subtotal? - Functional and didactic aspects

Abstract

Hysterectomy remains one of the most commonly performed gynecological procedures. The distinction between total and subtotal (supracervical) hysterectomy has many facets. Based on anatomical structures, a distinction is made between total and subtotal hysterectomy. In the present report, various factors affecting therapy decisions are examined individually and viewed in the context of the existing published literature. The surgical steps of total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) and laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy (LASH) are described didactically. Medical-ethical aspects of the increasingly complex balance between the scarcity of resources on the one hand, and growing demands on the other, form the basis of our medical decisions.

Keywords:

• Subtotal hysterectomy
• total hysterectomy
• laparoscopy
• anatomy
• patient autonomy

Declaration of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).