title: Prevention of vaginal shortening following radical hysterectomy.
abstract: We describe a surgical procedure and post-operative management for the prevention of vaginal shortening following radical hysterectomy. A total of 452 patients who underwent hysterectomies were examined prospectively depending on the operation method. This study showed that our procedure was effective in the prevention of vaginal shortening following radical hysterectomy. Preservation of the ovaries appeared to be important in preventing vaginal shortening, and post-operative hormone replacement therapy was not as effective as the preservation of the ovaries. The effect of external irradiation on vaginal shortening was not conspicuous in the case that the ovaries were preserved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ebina
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shirato
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sakuragi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D007045:Hysterectomy, Vaginal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014621:Vagina / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery; D014623:Vaginal Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*