Vaginal hysterectomy.

The role of antibiotic prophylaxis in women undergoing vaginal hysterectomy is reviewed. Although there has been a wide range in the reported incidence of postoperative infection and a wide variation in the definition of infectious morbidity, all of the reported studies to date have shown a decrease in the number of infections with this regimen. Currently, a short perioperative course with the cephalosporins is recommended for patients not allergic to penicillin, and this continues to be effective. A short alternative regimen for the penicillin-allergic patient has not been studied as yet.