Abortion hysterectomy for gynecologic pathology

Abortion hysterectomy has been discredited as the method of performing simultaneous pregnancy termination and elective sterilization for women with undesired pregnancies who simultaneously wish to end their child-bearing potential. The procedure continues to be advocated, however, for cases in which there is an underlying gynecologic pathologic condition. The morbidity of this procedure has not been directly compared with that for indicated hysterectomy in nonpregnant women. Between January 1976 and January 1987, 50 patients underwent abortion hysterectomy at The University of Chicago. The morbidity and mortality rates of these patients were compared with those of 50 premenopausal nonpregnant women undergoing abdominal hysterectomy for gynecologic pathologic status. There was no statistically significant different between the groups in the duration of surgery, estimated blood loss, or infectious morbidity. No operative site infections or other adverse sequelae were noted at the time of final postoperative examination. These data support the relative safety of abdominal abortion hysterectomy for women with undesired pregnancy in whom hysterectomy is indicated for an underlying gynecologic pathologic condition.