FEASIBILITY AND FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME OF LAPAROSCOPIC NERVE SPARING RADICAL HYSTERECTOMY.

Aim: Evaluation of the feasibility of laparoscopic nerve sparing radical hysterectomy in comparison to the non-nerve sparing type.
Methodology:Patient recruitment started from November 2014 to November 2016, patients who underwent laparoscopic type C1 hysterectomy and laparoscopic type C2 hysterectomy according to Querleu-Morrow classification(1) at our departments were prospectively evaluated. The inclusion criteria included: Patients with cervical carcinoma Stage IA2 to stage IIB cervical cancer according to FIGO staging and Stage II-III endometrial cancer with cervical involvement according to FIGO staging. Postoperative drainage of the bladder through a Foley catheter was maintained for 2 days and removed on the third day and the patients were asked to perform spontaneous voiding every 3 hours followed immediately by drainage of the bladder by urinary catheter to assess the post void residual (PVR) urine volume. The procedure was repeated until the PVR is less than 100 ml. The voiding function was considered normal when the patient had 2 consecutive measurements of PVR urine less than 100 ml and abnormal if the patient had a PVR urine more than 100 ml with need of self- catheterization after 4 weeks from the date of surgery.
Results:46 patients were included in the study, 30 patients underwent type C1 LNSRH (Group A) and 16 patients underwent type C2 LRH (Group B). The mean age was 49.1±13.1 and 51.2±11.8, median BMI was 26.2(22.9-28.5) and 23.8(21-26.6) respectively for the 2 groups. The mean operative time was 240.1±65.5 in group A and 308.1±83 in group B (P value=0.004). The rate of intraoperative complications was 10% in group A and 12.5% in group B. The median duration of postoperative catheterization until the PVR urine volume was less than 100 ml was 3.5(3-5) days in group A and 6(4-8.5) days in group B (P value=0.002), The rate of late postoperative complications including bladder dysfunction was 3.3% (Group A) and 31.25% (Group B) (P value 0.002).
Conclusion:Our study results supported the feasibility of LNSRH technique with better functional outcome without compromising the oncologic safety of the procedure