Benefits of AirSeal System in Laparoscopic Hysterectomy for Benign Condition: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Study Objective: To compare the AirSeal insufflation system with the standard insufflation system for postoperative abdominal pain after laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign pathology. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Teaching Hospital La Conception, Marseille, France, February 2018 to July 2020. Patients: A total of 80 patients scheduled for a laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign pathology (40 per group). Intervention: Laparoscopic hysterectomy using the AirSeal insufflation system with a pneumoperitoneum between 8 and 10 mm Hg compared with the standard insufflation system with a pneumoperitoneum between 12 and 15 mm Hg. Measurements and Main Results: The primary end point was abdominal pain at 6 hours after the end of surgery, assessed by a Simple Numerical Scale from 0 to 10. The secondary end points were intraoperative (operating time and difficulty of the surgery felt by the operator), early postoperative (intensity of abdominal and scapular pain at H0 [end of surgery], H2 [two hours after the end of surgery, H12 [twelve hour after the end of surgery], H24 [twenty four hours after the end of surgery], H48 [fourty eight hours after the end of surgery]), and late postoperative (late postoperative complication, estimated time to return to normal life, and overall patient satisfaction assessed by the SF-12 general health survey). The median values for abdominal pain were not different between the 2 groups at 6 hours (AirSeal group median, 0; interquartile range, 2 vs standard laparoscopy group median, 1; interquartile range, 2; p =.41). The abdominal and scapular pain values were similar in both groups at all postoperative times. There were no differences between the groups regarding secondary end points. Conclusion: Use of the AirSeal insufflation system with low-pressure pneumoperitoneum in laparoscopic hysterectomy for a benign indication did not reduce postoperative abdominal and scapular pain. Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology (2022) 29, 1003- 1010. (c) 2022 AAGL. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study compared the AirSeal insufflation system with the standard insufflation system in terms of postoperative abdominal pain after laparoscopic hysterectomy. The results showed that the use of the AirSeal system with low-pressure pneumoperitoneum did not reduce postoperative abdominal and scapular pain in benign cases.