Laparoscopic radical hysterectomy with enclosed colpotomy without the use of uterine manipulator for early-stage cervical cancer

BACKGROUND: We report the application of transuterine suspension sutures (TUSSs) for manipulation and vaginal closure before colpotomy in laparoscopic radical hysterectomy for early-stage cervical cancer. METHODOLOGY: Eight patients with clinical stage IB1 cervical squamous cell cancer were treated with laparoscopic radical hysterectomy between October 2019 and May 2020. The procedure was performed without a traditional uterine manipulator, and the vaginal cuff was closed with a stapler before colpotomy to prevent tumour spillage. RESULTS: All patients successfully underwent the surgery, with a median hospitalisation of 8 days (range 6–14). All drains and urethral catheters were removed after a median of 7 days (range 5–11) and 16 days (range 12–21), respectively. A median of 26 (range 20–32) pelvic lymph nodes were resected and no lymph-related complications were encountered post-operatively. With an enclosed colpotomy, no visible tumour tissues were exposed to the pelvic cavity, and all vaginal stumps healed well without complications. All pathological examinations of the vaginal margin were negative, and there were no residual lesions. At a median follow-up of 6 months, all patients were alive with no recurrence of disease. CONCLUSION: We found that laparoscopic radical hysterectomy with TUSS and vaginal closure before colpotomy is a useful and effective procedure to prevent tumour spillage for the treatment of cervical cancer.