Abstract
To evaluate the outcome of total laparoscopic hysterectomy with and without the use of barbed suture.
We conducted a retrospective study among patients who underwent total laparoscopic hysterectomy between February 2008 and August 2012. The parameters evaluated were age, BMI, operative time, hospital stay, pre- and postoperative hemoglobin levels, uterine weight, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative complications.
A total of 202 women underwent total laparoscopic hysterectomy; barbed suture (V-Loc) was used in 63 women, and polydioxanone (PDS) in 139. Estimated blood loss, difference in hemoglobin level before and after surgery, operative time, and the duration of hospital stay were comparable between the two groups of patients. The incidence of postoperative fever was higher in the V-Loc group than in the PDS group (P = 0.003). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the incidence of postoperative fever was related to BMI (P = 0.02, r = 0.22) and estimated blood loss (P = 0.004, r = 0.28) and not to age, operative time, or uterine weight.
The use of barbed suture to close the vaginal vault after laparoscopic hysterectomy, compared with standard suture, results in similar operative time, blood loss, and duration of hospital stay. The use of barbed suture is technically less demanding than the use of regular sutures.