Factors affecting cone-hysterectomy morbidity: A study of 200 patients

Abstract

Two-hundred consecutive total hysterectomies performed up to 222 days following cold-knife cone biopsy were studied. The febrile morbidity was 54.5 per cent compared with 44 per cent in a similar series of hysterectomy control patients. Morbidity for cone biopsy alone was 1.5 per cent of 149 patients. No deaths occurred in the 349 patients studied. The factors which significantly increased morbidity were a cone-hysterectomy interval of less than 14 days and the performance of vaginal rather than abdominal hysterectomy. Vaginal cuff and abdominal wound infections were found in 17.5 per cent of the cone-hysterectomy group compared with 9 per cent in the hysterectomy conrol group. Posthysterectomy hospital stay was the same in the cone-hysterectomy and hysterectomy control group. From this study it would appear that hysterectomy is preferably postponed for at least 14 days following cold-knife conization unless the circumstances of the individual patient dictate otherwise.