The impact of bilateral transient occlusion of uterine and utero-ovarian arteries on surgical blood loss during laparoscopic myomectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background: The primary perioperative concern during laparoscopic myomectomy is the risk of significant intraoperative blood loss, which can lead to hypovolemia, necessitate blood transfusion, and result in postoperative anemia. To address this issue, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the impact of temporarily clamping the uterine and utero-ovarian arteries on operative blood loss during laparoscopic myomectomy.

Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search across various databases to identify eligible clinical trials from inception to May 2024, focusing on randomized controlled trials (RCTs). In the intervention group, temporary bilateral clamping of the uterine and utero-ovarian arteries was performed during laparoscopic myomectomy, while the control group underwent laparoscopic myomectomy without arterial clamping. A meta-analysis was carried out on the gathered data using Revman software. The primary outcomes examined were blood loss and change in hemoglobin, with secondary outcomes including operation time and length of hospital stay.

Results: Three RCTs, involving a total of 275 patients, met our inclusion criteria. The intervention group showed significantly lower operative blood loss and a smaller reduction in hemoglobin compared to the control group. There was no notable difference in operation time between the two groups. Moreover, patients in the experimental group experienced a significantly shorter hospitalization duration than those in the control group.

Conclusions: The temporary bilateral occlusion of the uterine and utero-ovarian arteries is an effective method for reducing surgical blood loss, hemoglobin decline, and hospital stay duration during laparoscopic myomectomy. However, additional studies are needed to validate these findings.