Psychological wellbeing after laparoscopic and abdominal hysterectomy--a randomised controlled multicentre study.

OBJECTIVE To compare laparoscopic hysterectomy and abdominal total hysterectomy regarding influence on postoperative psychological wellbeing and surgical measures. DESIGN A prospective, open, randomised multicentre trial. SETTING Five hospitals in the South East of Sweden. POPULATION Hundred and twenty-five women scheduled for hysterectomy for benign conditions were enrolled in the study, and 119 women completed the study. Fifty-six women were randomised to abdominal hysterectomy and 63 to laparoscopic hysterectomy. METHODS Psychometric tests measuring general wellbeing, depression and anxiety preoperatively and 5 weeks and 6 months postoperatively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Effects of operating method on the psychological wellbeing postoperatively. Analysis of data regarding operating time, peroperative and postoperative complications, blood loss, hospital stay and recovery time. RESULTS No significant differences in the scores were observed between the two groups in any of the four psychometric tests. Both the surgical methods were associated with a significantly higher degree of psychological wellbeing 5 weeks postoperatively compared with preoperatively. The operating time was significantly longer for the laparoscopic hysterectomy group, but the duration of the stay in hospital and sick-leave were significantly shorter for laparoscopic hysterectomy group compared with the abdominal hysterectomy group. CONCLUSIONS General psychological wellbeing is equal after laparoscopic and abdominal hysterectomy within 6 months after the operation. The advantages of the laparoscopic hysterectomy are the shorter stay in hospital and shorter sick-leave, but these issues must be balanced by a longer duration of the operation.