Relationship between obesity and the risk of gynecologic laparoscopy in Korean women.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether obesity increases risk of performing laparoscopic gynecologic surgery in Korean women.


METHODS
Retrospective analysis over 35 consecutive months (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).


METHODS
University-affiliated hospital.


METHODS
Two hundred seventy-seven women who underwent gynecologic laparoscopic surgery.


METHODS
Patients were analyzed by chart review.


RESULTS
Obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) 25 kg/m(2) or greater. Patients were categorized on the basis of BMI [weight (kg)/height(2) (m(2))] as obese (BMI > or =25, 74 women) or nonobese (BMI < 25, 203). Each group was further divided into three subgroups according to operation difficulty. No significant differences in patient age, parity, menopausal status, medicosurgical illness, or history of intraabdominal surgery were apparent between groups, except for distribution of operation difficulty and adhesion grade; however, the adhesion grade was evenly distributed in each operation grade subgroup. In the two BMI groups, no significant differences were seen in surgical values (estimated blood loss, operating time, operative complications, postoperative complications, hospital stay, rate of conversion to laparotomy).


CONCLUSIONS
Obesity had generally been thought to increase the risk of laparoscopic surgery. In our study in obese Korean women, however, it did not seem to increase the risk, and gynecologic laparoscopic surgery was performed safely.
Bai
Sang Wook
SW
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Shinchon-dong 134 Sudaemun-gu, Seoul, Korea.
Lim
Jae Hak
JH
Kim
Jung Yeon
JY
Chung
Kyung Ah
KA
Kim
Sei Kwang
SK
Park
Ki Hyun
KH
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D013509:Gynecologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D009765:Obesity; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk