ABSTRACT
Surgical procedures, like so many other areas of our rapidly changing lives, respond to the rise and fall of fashion—and hysterectomy is a prime example of this. For the last century, whether to retain or remove the cervix at the time of hysterectomy has come and gone out of fashion, and the available scientific, rather than fashionable, evidence tells us that either is a reasonable option. Since the first description of laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy in 1991, this technique has had strong proponents and remains an excellent variant of hysterectomy. It is important to note both the technical aspects and the provision of a truly informed consent when discussing laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy with a woman. The laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy may be performed with a multiport, single-port (SILS), or robotic-assisted laparoscopic approach. Intraoperative technical considerations correspond to the level of cervical amputation and extraction of the corpus. Informed consent must include the possibility of ongoing intermittent vaginal bleeding, the need for continued cervical surveillance, the risk for reoperation for cervical prolapse, and the risk for various complications and outcomes that are now specifically known for laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy.
