vNOTES or Laparoscopy in hysterectomy operations?

Hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) is one of the gynecological procedures frequently performed for the surgical treatment of various uterine-related pathologies. There are various approaches to performing a hysterectomy, including open, vaginal, laparoscopic (closed), and robotic. Recently, endoscopic surgery (NOTES) through natural openings (vagina-birth canal) has emerged as an alternative approach to classical hysterectomy surgeries.

In this study, we aimed to compare the results of laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) and NOTES (vNOTES) hysterectomy using the vaginal route in the treatment of benign gynecological diseases. 99 patients who underwent classical laparoscopic or vNOTES hysterectomy were included in this study. Surgery duration, presence of intraoperative/postoperative complications, postoperative pain (VAS) scores at 6th and 24th hours, and hospital stay duration were analyzed.

Surgery time was significantly shorter in the vNOTES hysterectomy group (79.56 ± 32.54 min) than in the laparoscopy group (120.67 ± 38.35 min) (p: < 0.001). Additionally, postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter in favor of the vNOTES hysterectomy group (44± 16.47 h) compared to the laparoscopy group (57.86± 21.31 h) (p: .002).

These results suggest that the vNOTES hysterectomy technique may be a promising approach for the surgical treatment of various uterine-derived pathologies and may also be an alternative to laparoscopy.

For the full text of my study https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01443615.2020.1741523