GynaecologyLaparoscopic and Robotic-Assisted Hysterectomy for Uterine Leiomyomas: A Comparison of Complications and Costs
Introduction
Leiomyomas are the most common benign tumors of the female genital tract arising during reproductive years.1, 2 Prevalence in the premenopausal population varies between 30% and 70% and increases with age.3 In Canada, 70% to 80% of women develop leiomyomas by the age of 50.4 More recent longitudinal observational studies report incidence rates of 12.7 to 29.7 per 1000 woman-year.3, 5
As the most common benign indication for hysterectomy, leiomyomas are responsible for 30% of all hysterectomies in Canada.6 Although the majority of hysterectomies are still performed abdominally (via laparotomy), minimally invasive approaches are increasing.7 These techniques allow for shorter hospital admissions, lower intraoperative blood loss, fewer abdominal wall or wound infections, decreased scarring, and faster recovery.8 Increasingly, robotic surgery is being investigated in gynaecological surgery for benign disease. Despite these attractive features, studies comparing the benefits and limitations of robot-assisted hysterectomy with traditional laparoscopic hysterectomy remain inconclusive.9, 10, 11, 12 In our study, we compare patient demographics, costs, and complications of women who underwent laparoscopic or robot-assisted hysterectomy for uterine leiomyomas.
Section snippets
Materials and Methods
We carried out a cohort study using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. These datasets are created by Federal-State-Industry partnerships and funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.13 The associated Nationwide Inpatient Sample database is the largest in the United States, covering 46 states, accounting for more than seven million hospital stays per year, and representing 20% of all discharges from community hospitals (excluding rehabilitation and long-term care
Results
Between 2008 and 2012, a total of 355 321 women in the NIS database without a diagnosed malignancy of the genitourinary tract were diagnosed with leiomyomas. Among them, 175 159 underwent a hysterectomy for leiomyomas, of which 33 088 were laparoscopic-assisted and 10 677 were robotically-assisted. The Figure illustrates the patient flow.
Table 1 compares the baseline characteristics of women who underwent hysterectomy for leiomyomas. In the robotic cohort, women tended to be older and had more
Discussion
The objectives of this study were to compare the complications and total cost associated with laparoscopic and robot-assisted hysterectomies for leiomyomas. Note that vaginal hysterectomies were not included in our study, as there has been a significant decline in the practice of this approach.14 Women undergoing robotic hysterectomy tended to be older and had more comorbidities. There were overall similar risks in both cohorts, with a greater rate of transfusion in the laparoscopic group, and
Conclusion
Both laparoscopic and robotic-assisted hysterectomies for leiomyomas are safe surgical interventions with negligible complication rates. With a consistently greater total direct cost, the robotic approach has minimal advantage compared to laparoscopy.
Acknowledgements
No financial support was received for this study.
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Outcomes of In-bag Transvaginal Extraction in a Series of 692 Laparoscopic Myomectomies: Results from a Large Retrospective Analysis
2022, Journal of Minimally Invasive GynecologyMortality Rates in Benign Laparoscopic and Robotic Gynecologic Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
2020, Journal of Minimally Invasive GynecologyFIGO best practice guidance in surgical consent
2023, International Journal of Gynecology and ObstetricsEfficacy and safety of robot-assisted laparoscopic myomectomy versus laparoscopic myomectomy: a systematic evaluation and meta-analysis
2023, World Journal of Surgical Oncology
Competing interests: Dr. Tulandi was an ad-hoc advisor for Sanofi Genzyme, Allergan, and AbbVie, which is outside of this current submitted work. Other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.