Four-handed Technique for Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy: An Italian Experience

Abstract

Objectives: In our previous article, we proposed the novel four-handed technique (FHT) for total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH), which, according to us, is more helpful compared to the traditional TLH route. The objectives of the study were to analyze the FHT-TLH feasibility and efficiency by comparing some surgical outcomes recorded from 750 FHT-TLH performed in our hospital to literature data about the traditional TLH route and to underline the great opportunity this novel technique offers to the young specialists and residents to be more confident with gynecological laparoscopy. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective analysis carried out by collecting data regarding patient characteristics and surgical outcomes (operative time, blood loss, surgical complications, use of analgesics, and length of hospitalization) from 750 hospital records of women who underwent FHT-TLH (with or without adnexectomy) due to benign or malignant pathology from January 2015 to December 2021 at our hospital. Results: We performed a total of 750 FHT-TLH, with or without adnexectomy. The mean skin-to-skin operative time for a FHT-TLH was 50 min, and the mean blood loss was 150 mL. No visceral damage was caused during surgeries. Only two patients underwent exploratory laparotomy with total abdominal hysterectomy due to the inability to proceed laparoscopically. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were administered only twice a day as analgesics, with advantage. The mean length of stay in the hospital after the procedure was 1.5 days, with discharge on the evening of the 1st day after surgery. No major postoperative complications occurred. The only minor postoperative complication described, in just three patients, was cellulitis of the vaginal vault. Conclusion: Our FHT-TLH experience represents an alternative to the traditional TLH route, which allows to apply a minimally invasive approach with some advantages for patients compared to the traditional TLH route, such as early recovery and reduced operating time, blood loss, use of analgesics, and hospital stay. Moreover, it allows young specialists and residents to be more confident with gynecological laparoscopy, particularly when operating as the first assistant, to improve their laparoscopic surgical skills faster than the traditional TLH route allows them.

Keywords

• four-handed technique
• hysterectomy
• time reduction
• total laparoscopic hysterectomy