Prevention, Identification, and Successful Transvaginal Repair of Bladder Injuries During Laparoscopic-Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy.

A retrospective review of laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomies performed at a medium-size community hospital revealed eight bladder injuries from December 1991 through December 1995. The preoperative indications varied widely, as did the operating physicians. All of the injuries occurred in the vaginal dissection portion of the procedures and all were identified and repaired during the initial surgery. The first six cases involved vaginal repair with interposition of a fat pad when possible between the bladder suture line and the vaginal cuff. The last two included laparoscopic-directed placement of omentum between these two layers. All of the patients did well and had no further complications. Since these injuries tend to occur at the bladder neck, identification of the ureteral orifices is critical to a successful repair.