Vaginal vault drainage after complicated single-port access laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy

Study objectiveTo evaluate the feasibility and safety of vaginal vault drainage after complicated single-port access laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (SPA-LAVH).DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingUlsan University Hospital (tertiary teaching hospital), South Korea.PatientsA total of 359 women underwent SPA-LAVH for the following conditions: benign uterine tumor, preinvasive uterine lesion, and microinvasive cervical cancer.InterventionsThe participants included 124 women with vault drains and 235 women without drains.MeasurementsSurgical outcomes, perioperative complications and morbidity, postoperative febrile morbidity.ResultsThere were no differences in background features between drain and no-drain groups. In surgical outcomes, mean uterine weight (364.2 ± 184.9 g vs. 263.7 ± 138.6 g; p < 0.001), operation time (87.4 ± 21.5 min vs. 73.0 ± 17.6 min; p < 0.001), blood loss (225.3 ± 122.2 mL vs. 150.4 ± 95.2 mL; p < 0.001), and hemoglobin decline (1.97 ± 0.96 g/dL vs. 1.42 ± 0.89 g/dL; p < 0.001) were significantly larger for the drain group compared with the no-drain group. However, with regard to postoperative morbidity and complications, there were no group differences in the transfusion rates (6.5% vs. 3.8%; p = 0.300), intraoperative complications (2.4% vs. 1.3%; p = 0.420), perioperative complications (2.4% vs. 0.9%; p = 0.345), and febrile morbidity ≥ 37.5°C (8.9% vs. 11.5%; p = 0.477), although the drain group was more prone to the development of pelvic fluid collection and febrile morbidity than the no-drain group.ConclusionVaginal vault drainage could be a safe alternative that allows for the management of postoperative morbidity and retains the advantages of minimally invasive surgery after complicated SPA-LAVH.