Laparoscopic assistance at vaginal hysterectomy: a literature review.

38 literature reports of laparoscopic assistance in a total of 2,275 vaginal hysterectomies were reviewed. Operation times varied from 28 to 430 minutes. The mean conversion rate to laparotomy was 3.1%. The main reasons encountered were poor access (1.9%), heavy bleeding (0.7%) and organ injury (0.3%). Post-operative complications necessitating a secondary procedure occurred in 1.6% including hernia at trocar site (0.4%), urinary tract or intestinal lesions (0.5%) and delayed hemorrhage (0.6%).