Hysterectomy: Procedures, Complications & Alternatives

Hysterectomy is one of the most prevalent surgeries world-wide in the female population. Nine out of every ten hysterectomies are performed for non-malignant conditions that are not life-threatening, but have a negative impact on quality of life. Indication policy must be revised as new treatments become available. Menorrhagia is the primary indication and it is not always a response to an anatomical disease; other common indications are genital prolapse and malignancy. New and improved alternatives are increasingly employed for this indication and are responsible for the fall in the rate of hysterectomies performed in the last decade. This book presents current research in the study of hysterectomies, including laparoscopic hysterectomy; beliefs, attitudes and psychological reactions to hysterectomy; myomectomy in place of hysterectomy; surgical management of congenital uterine abnormalities; and the hysterectomy crossroads.