Whats the difference between a partial and a total hysterectomy?
Susan Smith, Edinburgh A total hysterectomy is the removal of both the body of the uterus and the cervix: the neck of the uterus that projects into the vagina. The subtotal hysterectomy is removal of the body of the uterus only, with the cervix being left behind. When I was younger gynaecologists debated the advantages of the two types regularly, but now a total hysterectomy is usually the operation of choice. The advantage of total hysterectomy is that it removes the potential source of cancer, the cervix, and leaves the vagina but it was said that a subtotal hysterectomy is a quicker procedure and an easier one. It also leaves the vagina at the same length. As a former junior doctor in a large unit I hadn’t the experience to join the argument of my elders and betters but for the last thirty years my patients seem to have been happy with total hysterectomies. Contrary to popular opinion, retention of the cervix doesn’t seem to alter the chances of a good sex life post-hysterectomy one
