BMJ 1995;310:803 (25 March)

Letters

Vaginal hysterectomy is a certain cure

EDITOR,--S B Pinion and colleagues' study comparing endometrial resection and hysterectomy largely ignores the benefits of vaginal hysterectomy.1 The authors conclude that "hysteroscopic surgery can be recommended as an alternative to hysterectomy for dysfunctional uterine bleeding" despite the finding that 28 of 105 patients required a second operation and that the proportion of patients who were "less than very satisfied" in the hysteroscopic group (22%) was double that in the hysterectomy group (11%).

In a retrospective audit in our hospital (1989-92) 231 consecutive women complaining of menorrhagia that had been refractory to medical treatment were offered hysterectomy. Women who required surgery for prolapse were excluded, and the surgery was performed by a single consultant firm. Of the 231 women, 157 (68%) had a vaginal hysterectomy (in Pinion and colleagues' study vaginal hysterectomy was performed in only 12 (12%) of 99 cases). In our series 74 patients underwent abdominal hysterectomy, and . . . [Full text of this article]


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This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Wright, J B, Gannon, M J, Greenberg, M (1996). Study did not reliably exclude possibility of psychological damage. BMJ 313: 231b-231 [Full text]  
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