Background: Total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) is a common gynaecological operation and rarely obstetric. Indications for TAH may be benign or malignant and it is one of the most commonly performed surgical operations worldwide.

Aim: To describe the frequency, indications and complications of total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) at a tertiary health institution in Abeokuta, Southwest Nigeria over a five-year period.

Methods: It was a 5-year descriptive retrospective study of all the total abdominal hysterectomies performed at our centre; a tertiary health institution in Abeokuta, Southwest Nigeria between January 2013 and December 2017. Case notes of 87 TAHs performed during the period were retrieved and analysed.

Results: There were 94 cases of TAHs out of a total of 515 major gynaecological surgeries during the period giving a TAH rate of 18.3% of major gynaecological surgeries. Eighty-seven (92.6%) of the case notes were retrieved for analysis. Average parity of the patients was 2.9. Uterine fibroid was the most common indication constituting 81.6% of all the cases. Intra-operative blood loss ranged from 300mls to 1600mls with an average of 553.44mls. Forty-four (50.6%) patients lost less than 500mls of blood. Post-operative anaemia in 35 (40.2%), and pyrexia in 11 (12.6%) patients were the most common complications.

Conclusion: Total abdominal hysterectomy is a common gynaecological procedure. It is indicated in both benign and malignant gynaecological conditions. Uterine fibroid was the most common indication. Post-operative anaemia and pyrexia were the most common complications. It is apparent that proper optimization of patients prior to surgery is necessary to prevent post-operative anaemia.

Keywords: Pattern, Gynaecological, Total abdominal Hysterectomy, Indications, Complications.

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Olaide R. Adenaya

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria