AT SGS 2017
SAN ANTONIO (FRONTLINE MEDICAL NEWS) – Investigators at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, have come up with a simple scoring system to predict if an intact uterus can be delivered vaginally during laparoscopic hysterectomy.
Age greater than 50 years counts as 1 point and uterine length greater than 11 cm, height greater than 8 cm, and width greater than 6.9 cm each count for 3 points. A score of 4 or higher suggests the need for an alternative to vaginal extraction, they reported at the annual scientific meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons, jointly sponsored by the American College of Surgeons.
“In the current environment, with morcellation under scrutiny, [this system] may enable clinicians to better anticipate the need for an alternate route of specimen delivery and counsel patients accordingly,” said Shanti Mohling, MD, the lead investigator and director of gynecology at the University of Tennessee.
The team reviewed 367 robotic-assisted total laparoscopic hysterectomies. An intact uterus was able to be extracted vaginally in 265 cases (72%); minilaparotomy was used for the rest. Uterine length, height, and width were documented from pathology reports. The scoring system correctly classified 94.6% of the cases. Sensitivity was 85.3%, specificity was 98.1%, positive predictive value was 94.57%, and negative predictive value was 94.55%.
Factoring in parity, uterine weight, body mass index, procedure indications, tobacco use, and comorbidities did not statistically influence the predictive power.
Gynecologic surgeons “are trying to get specimens out intact” and want to know ahead of time if it’s possible, Dr. Mohling said. “I wanted to create a model that was very reproducible.”
The general benchmark for vaginal delivery of an intact uterus is size below 12 weeks pregnancy, but the University of Tennessee model is more precise, according to Dr. Mohling. “I’ve added this to my counseling,” she said.
There was no external funding for the work and the investigators reported having no relevant financial disclosures.
