Vaginal Trachelectomy for Retained Cervical Stump after Supracervical Hysterectomy: Technical Tips and Outcomes

Background and Objectives: The supracervical hysterectomy (SCH) has resulted in a group of patients with a retained cervix at risk of persistent symptoms, who may require a trachelectomy in the future. This study was to evaluate the efficacy of vaginal trachelectomy (VT) after a previous SCH. Methods: This was a prospective study that includes 13 cases with different ages and different complaints, sharing the same primary operation supracervical hysterectomy. They have different pathologies of the SCH specimen but they share the same completion surgery. The surgical outcome was analyzed. Results: Thirteen patients underwent vaginal trachelectomy for recurrent symptoms. The ages of patients were ranged from 37 years to 68 years (Mean ± SD, 56.4 ± 10.7). SCH was most commonly performed for abnormal uterine bleeding AUB (7/13, 53.8%), pelvic mass (5/1, 38.5%), and pelvic pain (1/13, 7.7%), the symptoms leading to vaginal trachelectomy were the same as those leading to supracervical hysterectomy. The median interval time from SCH to seeking medical help for the persistence or recurrence of symptoms and to VT was 2 weeks (1 to 96 weeks). Concomitant procedures were laparoscopic removal of both ovaries in 2 cases and pelvic lymphadenectomy in 1 case. The median length of operation was 45 minutes. In all cases, symptoms leading to trachelectomy resolved completely after surgery, and patients reported a significant improvement. Conclusions: The cervix, left behind at subtotal hysterectomy, requires removal, the vaginal route is probably the safest, and least traumatic. Vaginal radical trachelectomy appears to be feasible and safe for the treatment of endometrial malignancy discovered after supracervical hysterectomy.

Radical Vaginal Hysterectomy and Trachelectomy in Early-Stage Cervical Cancer

Objective: To communicate a minimally invasive technique for surgical handling of early-stage cervical cancer and its results. Methods: 110 patients with cervical cancer in stages IA2 and IB1, all of them operated in a period of 5 years in both hospitals, are presented. Laparoscopic systemic pelvic lymphadenectomy with radical vaginal hysterectomy or radical vaginal trachelectomy was performed to patients, with the exception of those patients who had compromised nodes detected in contemporary biopsy. Results: Between April 2008 and May 2013, 110 patients were submitted to this technique. 15 patients had their surgery aborted: 13 presented positive nodes for carcinoma in contemporary biopsy and 2 had extensive cervical compromise when performing radical vaginal hysterectomy or trachelectomy. Analysis of the remaining 95 cases shows an average age of 43.9 years (26 - 61), all of them had given birth before, 23 (21%) of them through C-section. BMI averaged 30.5 and 31 (28.2%) had cone surgery performed previously. Average duration of surgery was of 220 minutes. Postoperative hospitalization averaged 3.1 days. Bleeding volume was estimated at 125 cc and one patient required blood transfusion. En 25 patients’ uterine annexes were kept and all of them were suspended by means of laparoscopy. On average, 25.4 pelvic nodes were obtained. Complications 13.6% with eight patients suffered bladder injury, two had rectovaginal fistula, 3 patients requires surgical repair of ureteral obstruction, two patients present thromboembolic disease. The disease-free and overall survivals are consistent with reports in the literature. Conclusion: We believe that handling patients with this technique is possible and has the advantages of vaginal and laparoscopic surgery with minimal complications.