ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Minerva Ginecologica 2016 August;68(4):412-7

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Quality of life after total laparoscopic hysterectomy: a one-year follow-up study

Salma I. KAYANI ¹, Jyotsna PUNDIR ², Kireki OMANWA ³ ✉

¹ Taiba Hospital, Sabah Salem, Kuwait; ² St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, Barts Health, London, UK; ³ Reproduction and Gynecology Centre, London, UK

BACKGROUND: A small prospective observational cohort study with the aim to evaluate postoperative health-related quality of life (HRQOL) at one-year follow-up after total laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign gynecological conditions and to assess postoperative functions in terms of return to work, sexual activity and driving was conducted.
METHODS: Sixty out of 65 women with a mean age of 45.7±5.4 responded to the questionnaire. Change in HRQOL was assessed by comparing the preoperative and postoperative QOL on scale of 1-5 grades.
RESULTS: HRQOL improved significantly at 12 months postoperatively. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the presence of irregular periods (P=0.048) and dyspareunia (P=0.017) were significant predictors of overall postoperative improvement in QOL by 3 or more grades. Women with ovarian preservation were more likely to report overall improvement in HRQOL by 3 or more grades compared to those who had bilateral salpingo-oophrectomy (P=0.04). There was statistically significant improvement in QOL postoperatively as compared to preoperatively (P<0.0001).
CONCLUSIONS: In our study we found that women presenting with dyspareunia were more likely to report higher improvement in postoperative QOL. This highlights that dyspareunia is a symptom which is a marker for chronic pelvic pain conditions like endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids and adhesions.