Systematic review, meta-analysis and statistical analysis of laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy vs. endometrial ablation

OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis aimed to compare the effect of laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy (LSH) with endometrial ablation (EA) in terms of general and menstrual-related quality of life in women opting for surgical treatment for abnormal uterine bleeding. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sources searched included PubMed, Cochrane library, Scopus, and Web of Science for relevant clinical trials. Main outcomes of interest included: quality of life assessed using medical outcomes survey short form-36 (SF-36), (SF-12), operation time, time from operation to discharge, pain, fever, and hemoglobin level. Screening and data extraction were performed independently and the analysis was conducted using Review Manager Software v5.4.1. RESULTS: Four clinical trials were included. Results of SF-12 score showed that there was no significant difference between the LSH and EA groups for either mental or physical component score overall mean difference (MD): -4.15 (-16.01, 7.71; p=0.49) and MD: 2.67 (-0.37, 5.71; p=0.08), respectively. Subgroup analysis of the SF-36 showed that only two components, general health and social function, were significantly improved in the LSH group (p<0.01) while the other six sub-scores did not differ between groups. The overall MD significantly favored the EA group for: operation time [MD: 72.65 (35.48, 109.82; p=0.0001)], time from operation to discharge [MD: 13.61 (3.21, 24.01; p=0.01)], hemoglobin level outcome [MD: 0.57 (0.40, 0.74); p<0.01], and pain score [standardized MD: 0.46 (0.32, 0.60; p<0.01)]. CONCLUSION: LSH has better outcomes for quality of life. This includes patient indicated responses to social health, general health, and superior hemoglobin levels at all measured points postoperatively. EA, however, was consistently associated with less operative time, a shorter hospital stay and is also considered by the authors to be a more minimally invasive technique which can also result in satisfying outcomes.