Postoperative patient satisfaction after laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate postoperative patient satisfaction in women after laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy (LASH).

METHODS: A retrospective study by a mailed questionnaire among 2334 women who underwent hysterectomy via LASH at the MIC-Klinik, Berlin, between 1998 and 2004 was conducted. Indications for LASH were uterus myomatosus, adenomyosis uteri, disorders of bleeding, and genital descensus. The LASH operation technique was standardized and remained consistent throughout the observation period. Pearson's test for metric variables, Spearman's rank correlation test for ordinal data, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis test were used.

RESULTS: Of the 2334 questionnaires mailed, 1553 were returned and 1431 (61.3%) of those could be analyzed. Almost 94% (93.9%) of the women were highly satisfied with the outcome, 5.6% reported medium satisfaction, and 0.5% were not satisfied. There was no significant difference in patient satisfaction with regard to the different indication for LASH.

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates high postoperative patient satisfaction after LASH. The rate of highly satisfied women might be increased by carefully choosing the right indications for LASH and improving operation techniques. This is important for widening acceptance of this innovative new operation standard.