A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF THE COSMETIC APPEAL OF ABDOMINAL INCISIONS USED FOR HYSTERECTOMY

Objective To assess the cosmetic appeal of abdominal incisions used fo r hysterectomy. Design A comparative study. Setting St James's Univers ity Hospital, Leeds Participants One hundred women, including 50 conse cutive women attending a gynaecology clinic for the first time and 50 hospital staff. Results Sixty-eight percent of women preferred a Pfann enstiel incision as the incision of first choice, while 31% chose the laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy incisions (LAVH). When wome n who had undergone previous abdominal surgery were compared with wome n with no previous surgery, there was a significant difference in thei r choice (80% Pfannenstiel, 18% LAVH compared with 54% Pfannenstiel, 4 5% LAVH). Conclusions In gynaecological surgery there is already a cos metically-favoured incision. One cannot assume that if a gynaecologist uses a minimally invasive surgical technique at hysterectomy that thi s will be cosmetically acceptable to the woman. Gynaecologists should not use cosmetic appeal in counselling women for LAVH and should conce ntrate on the other proven benefits of minimally invasive surgery.