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Study Objective: The objective of the study was to identify factors associated with negative patient experiences with Essure., Design: This was a retrospective cohort study and follow-up survey., Setting: The study was conducted in an academic setting., Patients: Patients included women who had an Essure placed between 2002 and 2017., Methods: The hospitals' database was queried to identify subjects and charts were reviewed to confirm medical information. Subjects were invited by mail, e-mail, or phone call to participate a survey regarding symptoms and satisfaction with Essure. A comparison was made between women who reported a negative experience with Essure versus those who did not. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify subject or procedural characteristics associated with any negative experience with Essure sterilization., Results: Two hundred eighty-four women underwent Essure sterilization between 2002 and 2017, 42.3% of whom responded to the follow-up survey. Satisfaction with Essure was reported by 61.9% of respondents. Thirty-three percent of the respondents have undergone removal or desire removal of the device. The most frequent symptoms attributed to Essure were pelvic pain, dyspareunia, and vaginal bleeding. Forty-eight percent of the respondents were identified as having any negative experience with Essure. Factors associated with negative experiences with Essure included young age at placement (odds ratio [OR] 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.79-0.94; P < .001), high gravidity (OR 1.39; 95% CI 1.14-1.71; P = .002), and absent history of abdominal surgery (OR 0.35; 95% CI 0.12-1.00; P = .049)., Conclusion: Young age at placement, high gravidity, and absent history of abdominal surgery are factors associated with negative patient experiences following Essure sterilization. A negative experience with Essure is common, although dissatisfaction with the device is not always attributable to symptoms. This information could be considered when counseling women who plan removal of Essure., Implications Statement: Our study provides new follow-up data with respect to hysteroscopic sterilization. This research is the first to examine any cause for negative patient experiences with Essure. Understanding factors associated with negative patient experiences could improve patient counseling regarding the extent to which symptoms could be attributed to Essure as well as counseling women who want to undergo removal of the device. These factors could in turn prove to be predictors for successful resolution of symptoms after removal of Essure. Results of this study could also be used for developing future hysteroscopic sterilization techniques., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2020 by JSLS, Journal of the Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons.)

Background and Objectives: To evaluate whether the route and surgical technique by which hysterectomy is performed influence the incidence of vaginal cuff dehiscence., Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of total hysterectomy cases performed at Brigham and Woman's Hospital or Faulkner Hospital during 2009 through 2011., Results: During the study period, 2382 total hysterectomies were performed; 23 of these (0.96%) were diagnosed with cuff dehiscence, and 4 women had recurrent dehiscence. Both laparoscopic (odds ratio, 23.4; P = .007) and robotic (odds ratio, 73; P = .0006) hysterectomies were associated with increased odds of cuff dehiscence in a multivariate regression analysis. The type of energy used during colpotomy, mode of closure (hand sewn, laparoscopic suturing, or suturing assisted by a device), and suture material did not differ significantly between groups; however, continuous suturing of the cuff was a protective factor (odds ratio, 0.24; P = .03). Women with dehiscence had more extensive procedures, as well as an increased incidence of additional major postoperative complications (17.4% vs 3%, P = .004)., Conclusion: The rate of cuff dehiscence in our cohort correlates with the current literature. This study suggests that the risk of dehiscence is influenced mainly by the scope and complexity of the surgical procedure. It seems that different colpotomy techniques do not influence the rate of cuff dehiscence; however, continuous suturing of the cuff may be superior to interrupted suturing.

Background and Objectives: The goal of this study is to obtain updated surveillance statistics for hysterectomy procedures in the United States and identify factors associated with undergoing a minimally invasive approach to hysterectomy., Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of the 2009 United States Nationwide Inpatient Sample was performed. Subjects included all women aged 18 years or older who underwent hysterectomy of any type. Logistic regression and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the proportion of hysterectomies performed by various routes, as well as factors associated with undergoing minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopic, vaginal, or robotic)., Results: A total of 479,814 hysterectomies were performed in the United States in 2009, 86.6% of which were performed for benign indications. Among the hysterectomies performed for benign indications, 56% were completed abdominally, 20.4% were performed laparoscopically, 18.8% were performed vaginally, and 4.5% were performed with robotic assistance. Factors associated with decreased odds of a minimally invasive hysterectomy included the following: minority race (P<.0001), fibroids (P<.0001), concomitant adnexal surgery (P<.0001), self-pay (P=.01) or Medicaid as insurer (P<.0001), and increased severity of illness (P<.0001). Factors associated with increased odds of a minimally invasive hysterectomy included the following: age>50 years (P<.0001), prolapse or menstrual disorder (P<.0001), median household income of $48,000-$62,999 (P=.007) or ≥$63,000 (P=.009), and location in the West (P=.02). A length of stay>1 day was most common in abdominal hysterectomy cases (96.1%), although total mean charges were highest for robotic cases ($38,161)., Conclusion: The US hysterectomy incidence in 2009 decreased from prior years' reports, with an increasing frequency of laparoscopic and robotic approaches. Racial and socioeconomic factors influenced hysterectomy mode.

Background and Objectives: To estimate the effect of surgeon volume on key perioperative outcomes after all modes of hysterectomy., Methods: We performed a review of 1914 hysterectomies performed at a large, academic tertiary-care hospital. Women who underwent abdominal, laparoscopic, vaginal, or robotic hysterectomy for benign non-obstetric indications in 2006, 2009, and 2010 were included., Results: Gynecologic surgeons were categorized according their average annual hysterectomy case volume: low volume (<11 cases per year), intermediate volume (11-50 cases per year), and high-volume (>51 cases per year). Taking all modes of hysterectomy together, surgeries performed by high-volume surgeons required a shorter operative time (155.11 minutes vs 199.19 -203.35 minutes, P<.001) and resulted in less estimated blood loss compared with low- and intermediate-volume surgeons (161.09 mL vs 205.58 -237.96 mL, P<.001). The 3 surgical volume groups did not differ from each other significantly in the conversion to laparotomy, readmission rate, or incidence of intraoperative or postoperative complications. These findings were maintained when subgroup analyses were performed by type of hysterectomy, with few exceptions. In the subgroup of vaginal hysterectomies by intermediate-volume surgeons, there were slightly more postoperative complications. There were fewer intraoperative complications in laparoscopic/robotic hysterectomies performed by high-volume surgeons, though not statistically significant., Conclusions: Hysterectomies performed by high-volume surgeons at our institution during the 3-year study period were associated with shorter operative times and less estimated blood loss.

Background and Objectives: To estimate the incidence of operative complications and compare operative cost and overall cost of different methods of benign hysterectomy including abdominal, vaginal, laparoscopic, and robotic techniques., Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort analysis (Canadian Task Force classification II-2) of all patients who underwent a hysterectomy for benign reasons in 2009 at a single urban academic tertiary care center using the χ(2) test and Student t test. A multivariate regression analysis was also performed for predictors of costs. Cost data were gathered from the hospital's billing system; the remainder of data was extracted from patient's medical records., Results: In 2009, 688 patients underwent a benign hysterectomy; 185 (26.9%) hysterectomies were abdominal, 135 (19.6%) vaginal, 352 (51.5%) laparoscopic, and 14 (2.0%) robotic. The rate of intraoperative complication was 1.7% for abdominal, 0.8% for vaginal, 0.3% for laparoscopic, and 0 for robotic. Mean total patient costs were $43,622 for abdominal, $31,934 for vaginal, $38,312 for laparoscopic, and $49,526 for robotic hysterectomies. Costs were significantly influenced by method of hysterectomy, operative time, and length of stay., Conclusion: Though complication rates did not vary significantly among minimally invasive methods of hysterectomy, patient costs were significantly influenced by the method of hysterectomy.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of using bidirectional barbed suture in laparoscopic myomectomy (LM) and total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH)., Methods: This was a case series of clinical outcomes following 172 consecutive LM and TLH cases over a 1-year period conducted at a university teaching hospital. It included 172 women (ages 17 to 81), requiring a myomectomy or hysterectomy for symptomatic uterine fibroids, pelvic pain, or abnormal uterine bleeding; 117 women underwent TLH and 55 women underwent LM. Patients were contacted over the phone 6 months after surgery to inquire about number of days of postoperative vaginal bleeding, visits to the hospital due to bleeding, dyspareunia, and other potential complications., Results: For TLH, the average duration of surgery was 109 minutes, average uterine weight was 256 grams (range, 18 to 1242), and average blood loss was 71 mL. In LM, average duration of surgery was 125 minutes, average weight of fibroids was 252 g, average number of fibroids removed was 4.0, and average blood loss was 159 mL. Seven percent of patients and 8% of their partners had persistent dyspareunia after surgery. There were no conversions to laparotomy., Conclusions: The use of bidirectional barbed suture appears to be safe for closing the vaginal cuff in a TLH and for closing the hysterotomy site during a laparoscopic myomectomy.

Background and Objectives: To assess self-perceived proficiency in minimally invasive surgical procedures among fourth-year Ob/Gyn residents in the United States and to evaluate trends in self-perceived proficiencies by comparing the current survey to a similar survey distributed in 2001., Methods: A Web-based survey was sent out to all fourth-year residents in accredited obstetrics and gynecology programs in the United States. The residents completed the online survey regarding their perceived proficiency in performing minimally invasive procedures. These results were compared with the results from a similar survey performed in 2001. The residents were also asked about teaching methods and the importance of minimally invasive surgery training during residency., Results: We received responses from 248 senior residents. Of these, 65.1% thought emphasis on laparoscopic surgery training should be increased or greatly increased, and 97.1% thought laparoscopic skills were important for building a successful practice. Perceived proficiencies in advanced laparoscopic procedures, such as total laparoscopic hysterectomy and supracervical hysterectomy, were significantly higher compared with our results in 2001. Residents also seemed to feel more comfortable performing basic and advanced hysteroscopic procedures. Of respondents, 56.8% felt that a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery would be beneficial to them following graduation., Conclusion: Senior Ob/Gyn residents seem to feel more comfortable performing advanced laparoscopic procedures at graduation than they did 7 years ago. The majority feels that the emphasis on training in minimally invasive surgery should be increased.

Objective: We assessed the learning curve for laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy., Methods: This was a prospective cohort study. We analyzed the first 60 consecutive laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy procedures performed by a team of 2 gynecological laparoscopic surgeons between May 2001 and July 2006 to examine whether a learning curve exists as defined by a decrease in operating time and complications as the sequence increased. Based on previous reports, we defined the first 30 laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomies as "early" cases and the subsequent cases as "late" cases., Results: The mean operating time for laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy was significantly reduced from 166 minutes to 142.3 minutes (P < or = 0.05) between the early and the late cases. The mean first postoperative day drop in hemoglobin between the early and the late cases was from 2.4 gm/dL to 2.0 gm/dL (P = 0.08). Two complications occurred in the series: one delayed bowel injury in the early cases and one conversion to laparotomy due to a cystotomy in the late cases. No difference existed between the early and the late patients regarding age, parity, body mass index, uterine weight, previous abdominal surgery, or hospital stay. There was an overall linear correlation between the operating time and uterine weight (R = 0.384)., Conclusion: There is a learning curve for laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy. After gaining experience in performing 30 cases, the operating time is significantly reduced. The operation can be performed safely during the learning period.