Clinical results of uterine artery ligation in myomectomy.

Aim: To compare intraoperative and postoperative clinical results of laparoscopic and laparotomic myomectomy operations in patients with and without bilateral uterine artery ligation.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis of 217 patients with intramural ≥ 5 cm myoma who underwent laparoscopic (n = 100) or laparatomic (n = 117) myomectomy was conducted. The patients were grouped according to the number of uterine myomas removed (≤2 or > 2). Clinical results of both laparoscopic and laparotomic myomectomy methods and the presence of uterine artery ligation were compared. The recurrence of myomas and pregnancy outcomes were also reported.

Results: For patients with > 2 myomas removed without uterine artery ligation, the amount of bleeding, operation time, and hospital stay were significantly lower in patients who underwent laparotomic myomectomy but no significant difference in patients with <2 myomas removed. The rate of hemorrhage was lower in both the laparoscopy and laparotomy uterine artery ligation groups. The recurrence rate of myomas ≤ 3 cm was higher in the laparoscopic myomectomy group (p = .022) and in patients without uterine artery ligation group (p = .028) but recurrence rates for myomas > 3 cm were similar between in groups. Pregnancy occurred in 24 of the 96 patients who underwent uterine artery ligation, and 14 pregnancies resulted in live births.

Conclusion: Uterine artery ligation might be a suitable addition to myomectomy surgery to reduce intraoperative bleeding and the recurrence of myoma, especially in cases where more than two uterine myomas are removed laparoscopically.

Key Words: Laparoscopic myomectomy, Laparotomic myomectomy, Myomas, Haemorrhage, Uterine artery ligation.