Short-Term Outcome of Incidental Hysterectomy at the Time of Adnexectomy for Benign Disease

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the short-term morbidity of incidental hysterectomy at the time of adnexectomy for benign adnexal disease outweighs the theoretical benefits of the procedure. Design: Retrospective observational. Patients: The medical records of 100 patients who underwent adnexectomy plus incidental hysterectomy for benign adnexal disease were compared to the records of 100 ageand risk-matched women who underwent adnexectomy without incidental hysterectomy for the same indication. Interventions: None. Main Outcome Measures: Short-term morbidity and hospital stay. Results: A significant increase was noted for total morbidity (p <.0001), estimated blood loss (p <.00001), and hospital stay (p <.0001) in patients who had incidental hysterectomy performed as compared with patients who had adnexectomies only. Conclusions: Although potential benefit has been claimed for routine removal of a normal uterus in this setting, no prospective studies have been performed to verify this assertion. These data suggest that until the long-term benefit of this practice is demonstrated, the increased short-term risk and expense associated with incidental hysterectomy argue against its performance at the time of laparotomy for benign adnexal disease.