| May 2006 · Vol. 18, No. 5 LETTERS
Is vaginal hysterectomy a dying art?
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Fast Track
“Medicare actually penalizes us for choosing the laparoscopic route”
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“Vaginal hysterectomy: Is skill the limiting factor?” by Dr. Carl W. Zimmerman (March), was not only a great paper, it was especially timely in light of our specialty’s reduced resident work hours, diminishing number of surgical procedures, and increasing time restraints. Vaginal hysterectomies are commonly performed by gynecologists and no other specialties. They are often referred to as “bread and butter” procedures because of their common use.
Most ObGyn training programs are in tertiary referral centers. Women go to these centers for cancer surgery and major pelvic reconstruction, not vaginal hysterectomies for uterovaginal prolapse, abnormal uterine bleeding, and other benign reasons. Thus, residents in training get less and less exposure to pelvic surgery, including vaginal hysterectomy. Less work time and fewer procedures confound this issue.
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