Development of abnormal bowel function after simple hysterectomy

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate patient bowel function following trans-abdominal hysterectomy (TAH). Materials and Methods: Patients scheduled for TAH were interviewed using a bowel function questionnaire at day 1 preoperatively and at 1, 3 and 6 months postoperatively. The questionnaire consisted of 18 items pertaining to bowel function, each with 5 score levels (0 to 4). A low score indicated fewer symptoms, with the sum of possible scores ranging from 0-72. Results: Seventy-four patients were recruited between March and September 2017. The mean patient age was 51.3 years and the most common diagnosis was myoma (41.9%) followed by endometrial cancer (18.9%), ovarian cancer (12.2%) and ovarian tumor (12.2%). Previous cesarean section was reported in 24.3% of patients, while 30% underwent lysis of adhesions. Gastrointestinal medication and laxatives were given to 70% and 2.7% of patients, respectively. The mean sum of the score for the questionnaire was 1.91, 0.81, 0.54 and 0.46, respectively, for preoperative day one and for 1, 3 and 6 months postoperatively. The mean scores for the 3 post-operative time points were significantly lower than that of the preoperative period. Conclusion: Most patients who underwent TAH did not develop abnormal bowel function after surgery. Moreover, patients who initially had bowel dysfunction showed significant improvement post-hysterectomy.

Keywords

• bowel function
• simple hysterectomy