Technics and results of laparoscopic myomectomy

Myoma is one of the most common benign diseases of the female genital tract . The surgical management of this entity has been altered over the last yea rs from complete hysterectomy to conservative enucleation of the myomas. We retrospectively compared our data concerning laparoscopic or open myomecto mies. Over a period of 2 years, we operated 207 myomas in 102 patients. Of this collective, 69 (67.6%) were operated on laparoscopically and 33 (32.4% ) via an open approach. In both groups, the median number of myomas was 2 ( 1-7). The mean diameter of the largest myoma was 5.1 +/- 2.4 cm (laparoscop y) and 6.2 +/- 2.6 cm (laparotomy), respectively. The additive diameter of myomas was 7.7 +/- 5.1 cm (laparoscopy) and 9.8 +/- 4.1 cm (laparotomy), re spectively. There was no relevant difference between the groups in terms of operating time and blood loss. Four (3.9%) laparoscopies had to be convert ed to an open approach. In three cases (2.9%) a laparoscopically assisted e nucleation had to be performed, requiring a mini-laparotomy 4 to 5 cm in le ngth. We encountered no severe complications. Given appropriate indication, laparoscopic myomectomy is an easy-to-perform and minimally invasive technique with a low complication rate.