A case for evidence based patient education: Differences in short term and long term patient outcomes for total vs. subtotal hysterectomy using a systematic review of literature

One of the important decisions that must be made for many benign cases indicating hysterectomy is the choice between total hysterectomy and subtotal hysterectomy. In this article, a systematic review of literature regarding short- and long-term health and quality-of-life patient outcomes is completed, in an effort to provide an evidence-based patient educational resource for medical professionals to provide women facing a decision about treatment options for benign gynecologic conditions. An additional goal of the author, after evaluation and synthesization of the literature, is to suggest differences between subtotal and total hysterectomies that may require further research prior to being able to strongly suggest one type of surgery over the other.