Comment & Controversy

Cystoscopy is a skill, not a requirement

“SHOULD CYSTOSCOPY BE ROUTINE AT THE TIME OF HYSTERECTOMY?”
BY CHERYL IGLESIA, MD
(EXAMINING THE EVIDENCE; MARCH 2009)

Yes, cystoscopy is valuable—not just at hysterectomy but also at oophorectomy and cases involving stress urinary incontinence and pelvic relaxation. However, the data quoted by Dr. Iglesia seem suspect. I would estimate that 90% of hysterectomies performed today are laparoscopic or vaginal and 10% are abdominal—at least in my hands and those of my colleagues. In contrast, in the study discussed by Dr. Iglesia, approximately 65% of hysterectomies were performed abdominally, 27% vaginally, and 7% vaginally with laparoscopic assistance.