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gynaesurgery_complications

potential complications of gynaecologic surgery

see also:

Introduction

  • depending upon the type of procedure, potential local complications of surgery include:
    • UTI
    • urinary retention
    • uterine issues
      • vault haematoma post-hysterectomy
      • uterine perforation
      • retained products of conception / endometritis
      • cervical incompetence
      • cervicitis
    • bladder trauma including formation of vesicovaginal fistulae
    • ureter issues including injury or suturing
    • urethral issues

Urologic complications

  • see also:
  • urinary tract infection following catheterisation
  • urinary retention
  • urinary tract injuries occur in 0.3% to 0.8% of all gynecologic procedures, and injuries to the bladder occur in 0.05% to 0.66% of such surgeries.
  • injury to the bladder, particularly a mechanical injury, is more common than injury to the ureter
  • most bladder injuries are recognized during surgery
  • cystoscopy detects nearly all unrecognized bladder and ureteral injuries
  • bladder injuries can be characterized as intra- or extraperitoneal and may include sharp instrument trauma, perforation, placement of suture into the bladder:
    • Grade 1: contusion, intramural hematoma, or partial thickness laceration
    • Grade 2: extraperitoneal bladder wall laceration <2 cm
    • Grade 3: extraperitoneal >2 cm or intraperitoneal <2 cm bladder wall laceration
    • Grade 4: intraperitoneal bladder wall laceration >2 cm
    • Grade 5: intra- or extraperitoneal bladder wall laceration involving the trigone or bladder neck
    • extraperitoneal injuries can be further classified:
      • open pelvic fracture with exposed bone within the bladder lumen
      • concurrent rectal or vaginal injury to prevent subsequent fistula formation to the bladder
      • bladder neck injury
      • persistent haematuria as a consequence of the bladder injury, with clots interfering with adequate bladder drainage
    • grade 1 and 2 injuries are generally managed with 7-14 days (although some need 21 days to heal) IDC
  • risk of bladder injury increases in hysterectomy procedures
    • 1.0% to 1.8% in laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomies and vaginal hysterectomies
  • injury to the bladder can occur at several points in gynecologic or obstetric surgery:
    • during lysis of adhesions
    • bladder dissection in all routes of hysterectomy
    • entry into the anterior cul-de-sac in a vaginal hysterectomy
    • when using a suprapubic incision for trocar placement or tissue extraction
    • urethral sling placement is a particularly high-risk procedure for bladder injury, which complicates between 3% and 9% of procedures and also risks urethral perforation on 0.4-1%
    • caesarean deliveries, esp. vertical midline subumbilical incisions
    • thermal spread from electrosurgical energy can lead to delayed injury

Long term complications from hysterectomy and/or bilateral salpingectomy

  • earlier menopause and perhaps more severe reduction in hormonal levels
    • hysterectomy may result in lower ovarian sex steroid levels, resulting in earlier menopause
    • oophorectomy can reduce premenopausal serum oestradiol by up to 80% and androgen levels by about 50% in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women
  • increased osteoporosis risk
  • increased stroke risk
    • women of reproductive age have a lower stroke risk, whereas postmenopausal women are roughly two times more likely to have a stroke within a decade of menopause
    • a 2025 study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) included more than 21,000 women showed:1)
      • 18% higher risk of stroke for hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy
      • 5% higher risk of stroke for hysterectomy alone
1)
Shao, C., et al. (2025) Stroke risk in women with or without hysterectomy and/or bilateral oophorectomy: evidence from the NHANES 1999-2018 and meta-analysis. Menopause
gynaesurgery_complications.txt · Last modified: 2025/09/03 10:30 by gary1

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