Laparoscopic Hysterectomy for Uterine Fibroids: Is it Safe?

The Effect of Propofol plus Remifentanil for PostoperativePain and Heart Rate Management in Patients Undergoing Abdominal Hysterectomy

Purpose

To explore the effect of propofol plus remifentanil for postoperative pain and heart rate management in patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy.

Methods

In this prospective randomized controlled study, 96 patients who underwent abdominal hysterectomy in an affiliated hospital of Fujian Medical University from April 2016 to April 2017 were recruited and randomized into the study group (n = 48) and control group (n = 48) via the random number table method. The control group received remifentanil for anesthesia, and the study group was given propofol plus remifentanil. The postoperative pain and heart rates of patients were compared between the two groups.

Results

No significant difference was observed in the heart rate and adrenaline values between the two groups before anesthesia, and the study group had significantly lower adrenaline values and heart rates intraoperatively and 15 min after operation than the control group. Patients in the study group showed shorter time-lapse before independent breathing recovery, extubation, and resuscitation compared to those in the control group. The study group received less patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) as compared to the study group within 48 h after operation. In the study group, the numeric rating scale (NRS) scores within 1 h, 2 h, 6 h, 8 h, and 12 h after operation were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.001). Propofol plus remifentanil offer a viable alternative for postoperative pain management and stress alleviation after abdominal hysterectomy with a high safety profile. Further clinical trials are, however, required prior to clinical promotion.

A Case of Unsuspected Low-grade Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma Successfully Treated with Two Minimally Invasive Surgeries

It is relatively uncommon to treat patients with a preoperative diagnosis of benign leiomyoma that is then unexpectedly rediagnosed as malignant in postoperative histology. We report the case of a 55-year-old woman with low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma who had been diagnosed as having uterine leiomyoma with myxoid degeneration by preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). She underwent a laparoscopic hysterectomy. The uterus, after being placed in a retrieval bag, was transvaginally morcellated to prevent spillage of the contents, as the MRI image appeared somewhat atypical. A retrospective survey of MRI findings affirmed that the muscle tissue had the appearance of a low-intensity band-like structure: bag of worms appearance. She underwent a laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and remains recurrence-free. With somewhat atypical preoperative MRI, it is essential to prevent the spillage of the tumor content as no definitive preoperative exclusion of unsuspected mesenchymal malignancies is feasible.

Reducing the spread of occult uterine sarcoma at the time of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery

PURPOSE

This review covers the most recent evidence to discuss the incidence of occult uterine sarcoma, whether morcellation increases tumor dissemination or mortality, and whether there is a difference between different types of morcellation. We will also discuss techniques to reduce the spread of an undiagnosed uterine sarcoma.

METHOD

A comprehensive literature search was made in Pubmed, Medline, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar for articles related to the incidence of occult uterine sarcoma after morcellation.

RESULTS

Fibroids are benign uterine tumors and are a common indication for gynecologic surgery. Increasingly, gynecologists are approaching these surgeries with minimally invasive techniques. Uterine sarcomas are rare malignant mesenchymal tumors that are difficult to distinguish preoperatively from uterine fibroids.

CONCLUSION

During a minimally invasive surgery, there is a risk of disseminating an occult sarcoma during tissue extraction. Minimally invasive gynecologists are tasked with balancing taking a minimally invasive approach, which is shown to result in better patient outcomes, with minimizing the risk of spreading an occult sarcoma.

Curative effect of laparoscopic hysterectomy for uterine fibroids and its impact on ovarian blood supply

This study evaluates the curative effects laparo-scopic hysterectomies performed to treat uterine fibroids and determined the impact of the procedures on ovarian blood supply. A total of 124 patients with uterine fibroids admitted and treated in our hospital from December 2014 to December 2015 participated in the study. Two groups of 62 patients each were formed according to different operating plans; one group of patients underwent abdominal (open) panhysterectomy and were set as the control group; with the other group of patients were treated with laparoscopic hysterectomy and were set as the observation group. Ovarian endocrine function tests and blood supply changes were measured in both groups before the operation and one month after it, and the clinical conditions of all the patients were followed up for 24 months after surgery. Our results showed the duration of operation, amount of bleeding and time to recovery after the procedure were significantly lower in the patients in the observation group (P<0.05). Also, compared with preoperative conditions, the levels of PRL, FSH, E2, LH and other ovarian function markers in both groups were significantly lower one month after the operation, but the levels of the patients in the observation group were still significantly higher than those of the patients in the control group (P<0.05). Likewise, the surgeries affected the ovarian blood supply in patients of both groups, as evidenced by the lower levels of PI, RI, Vmin, Vmax and other blood supply indexes observed by Doppler ultrasound a month after the operations. However, the impact of the surgery on the ovarian blood supply was less marked in the patients in the observation group as their levels remained higher than those of patients in the control group (P<0.05). The numbers of patients with completely healed abdominal muscular layers in the observation group were always significantly higher than those of patients in the control group, at every different time point examined (1, 4, 8 and 12 months after surgery) (P<0.01). At the end of the 24 months of the follow-up period, the recurrence rate of fibroids for patients in the observation group was 4.8%. In our hands, the laparoscopic hysterectomy procedure to treat uterine fibroids showed the usual advantages over the abdominal open hysterectomy, like small trauma, short surgical procedure and rapid postoperative recovery, but it also proved to cause a significantly smaller impact on ovarian blood supply and should be considered whenever uterus preservation is a priority.

Intracavitary ethanol ablation for the management of uterine hemorrhage refractory to uterine artery embolization

A 57-year-old postmenopausal woman with end-stage liver disease secondary to alcoholic cirrhosis, esophageal varices, severe alcoholic cardiomyopathy, and metrorrhagia causing persistent anemia despite multiple transfusions presented with heavy vaginal bleeding. The patient underwent two uterine artery embolizations with proximal coils instead of directed particles due to difficult anatomy but the bleeding continued despite these interventions. Since she was a poor surgical candidate for hysterectomy, the decision was made to attempt achievement of hemostasis via ethanol injection into the uterine cavity. The patient's bleeding ceased, her hemoglobin and hematocrit stabilized post-procedure, and she was discharged home in stable condition.