Background and Objectives:To assess the feasibility and safety of minimally invasive hysterectomy for uteri >1 kg.Methods:Clinical and surgical characteristics were collected for patients in an academic tertiary care hospital. Included were patients who underwent minimally invasive hysterectomy by 1 of 3 fellowship-trained gynecologists from January 1, 2009, to July 1, 2015 and subsequently had confirmed uterine weights of 1 kg or greater on pathology report. Both robotic and conventional laparoscopic procedures were included.Results:During the study period, 95 patients underwent minimally invasive hysterectomy with confirmed uterine weight over 1 kg. Eighty-eight percent were performed with conventional laparoscopy and 12.6% with robot-assisted laparoscopy. The median weight (range) was 1326 g (range, 1000–4800). The median estimated blood loss was 200 mL (range, 50–2000), and median operating time was 191 minutes (range, 75–478). Five cases were converted to laparotomy (5.2%). Four cases were converted secondary to hemorrhage and one secondary to extensive adhesions. There were no conversions after 2011. Intraoperative transfusion was given in 6.3% of cases and postoperative transfusion in 6.3% of cases. However, after 2013, the rate of intraoperative transfusion decreased to 1.0% and postoperative transfusion to 2.1%. Of the 95 cases, there were no cases with malignancy.Conclusions:This provides the largest case series of hysterectomy over 1 kg completed by a minimally invasive approach. Our complication rate improved with experience and was comparable to other studies of minimally invasive hysterectomy for large uteri. When performed by experienced surgeons, minimally invasive hysterectomy for uteri >1 kg can be considered feasible and safe.

Preoperative planning for DIE with the use of MRI is integral in surgical planning. Other imaging modalities to diagnose DIE, such as transvaginal ultrasound, endoanal ultrasound, barium enema, cystoscopy, and rectoscopy, have all been used and studied for the evaluation of endometriosis. However, given its accuracy for mapping lesions, MRI could potentially replace multiple types of imaging while offering the best option for preoperative planning. Accurate mapping would result in greater success of resection and allow for multidisciplinary planning if necessary. Furthermore, being able to train the eye to identify lesions on MRI that are consistent with DIE is an asset to the gynecologic surgeon.

This patient's presentation highlights one of the complications that may occur owing to congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Computed tomographic scan is the confirmatory test for diaphragmatic hernia and, in this case, also uncovered a concomitant gastric volvulus. Treatment includes early resuscitation, a definitive airway, and emergent surgery to prevent ischemic necrosis of the stomach owing to strangulation, gastric perforation, and serious cardiorespiratory decompensation.

Background and Objectives:To perform a systematic review of articles evaluating hemostatic effectiveness and peri-operative outcomes when topical hemostatic agents (HA) are used in minimally invasive gynecologic surgeries (MIGS) for benign conditions.Methods:Studies published through March 31, 2017 were retrieved through PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and ClinicalTrials.gov to identify all eligible studies. No studies were excluded based on publish date. All comparative studies or case series with >10 participants reporting use of at least one topical HA in MIGS for benign conditions were included as long as full-text articles were available and written in English. Studies were excluded if surgery was done for malignancy or completed via an open approach. Articles that included multiple surgical subspecialties were excluded if data related to MIGS was unable to be isolated. Evaluation for eligibility and data extraction was performed by three independent reviewers. Quality of evidence was also assessed by each reviewer.Results:From 132 articles, a total of 8 studies were included in this systematic review. We found that use of fibrin sealant decreased time to hemostasis, postoperative hemoglobin drop, and estimated blood loss (EBL) compared with bipolar energy and reduced the overall operative time in laparoscopic myomectomy. When fibrin sealant use at time of myomectomy was compared to bipolar energy there was no significant difference in the rate of postoperative complications. Furthermore, there was less of a decrease in anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) level when a thrombin-gelatin matrix was used compared to bipolar energy on ovarian tissue.Conclusion:Application of topical HA in MIGS can reduce operative time, blood loss, and ameliorate damage to ovarian function. However, more data needs to be gathered for use of HA during different types of gynecologic procedures (adnexal surgery, myomectomy, and hysterectomy) to provide better quality evidence to guide their use.

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