Preoperative assessment by magnetic resonance imaging is useful for planning the treatment of an enlarged uterus by total laparoscopic hysterectomy.

Aim The purpose of this study was to compare the intraoperative and postoperative parameters among the three approaches used to treat large uterine myomas: laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH), total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) and abdominal hysterectomy, and to evaluate the selection criteria for laparoscopic hysterectomy as determined by magnetic resonance imaging. Material and Methods The medical records of 155 patients who underwent a hysterectomy between January 2007 and April 2010 were examined. We also compared the indications and outcomes of LAVH and TLH for myomas larger than 7cm. Results Patients who underwent LAVH or TLH had a lower average intraoperative blood loss, less intense postoperative pain, and shorter hospital stays than patients in the TAH group, although the length of the operations in the laparoscopic groups were significantly longer. To evaluate the selection criteria for the large sized myomas, we compared the LAVH and TLH groups for the myomas larger than 7cm. The greatest uterine transverse diameters and the weight of the uteri were not significantly different between the LAVH and TLH groups (94.7 +/- 20.8 and 83.1 +/- 17.6mm, 371.6 +/- 160.3 and 286.7 +/- 158.0g, respectively). The average intraoperative blood loss in the TLH group was significantly lower than that in the LAVH (121.3 +/- 111.2 vs 379.3 +/- 222.4g, P<0.001). Conclusion Our data suggest that TLH is a better procedure for treating a large uterus no larger than 10cm in its greatest transverse diameter. The preoperative total length of myoma nodules determined by MRI is a useful preoperative indicator of the uterine weight.