title: Laparoscopically-assisted radical vaginal hysterectomy with five years follow-up: a case control study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare a novel surgical approach, laparoscopically-assisted radical vaginal hysterectomy (LARVH) with abdominal radical hysterectomy in women with cervical cancer, and to investigate whether selected women benefit from the minimally-invasive approach without high recurrence rate and complications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty women undergoing LARVH were included and compared with 40 women undergoing abdominal radical hysterectomy. The control group was matched for age and disease stage. Retrospective chart review was performed and patients were followed for an average of 2.5 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Blood loss was significantly increased in the control group (343.3 vs 606.3 ml, p = 0.012). Transfusions were given in 42.5% of women in the control group and 17.5% in the LARVH group. Mean operative time was longer in the control group (151 vs 240 minutes p = 0.0001). Mean nodal counts did not show a significant difference (27.3 in control vs 21.4 in LARVH, p = 0.886). Recurrence group was 7.5% at mean follow up of 30.1 months in LARVH group and in 30.8 months follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The LARVH procedure was comparable in terms of safety (recurrence and complication rates) meanwhile LARVH showed minimally-invasive advantages in terms of blood loss, operative time, and shorter hospital stay.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University, Wuxi, China. jinjinyucn@yeah.net
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: W X
authors.initials: WX
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: X M
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007045:Hysterectomy, Vaginal / Q000379:methods*; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*