Rates and Routes of Benign Hysterectomy in Austria 2002–2024

INTRODUCTION: Hysterectomies for benign indications are declining in many countries, and access routes are changing. In Austria, hysterectomies for benign indications decreased by 27% between 2002 and 2014, accompanied by a marked shift toward minimally invasive (MI) procedures [1]. This analysis updates these trends through 2024. OBJECTIVE: To determine the number and modality of hysterectomies for benign indications in Austria between 2002 and 2024. METHODS: This was a population-based retrospective observational study of coding data from all acute care hospitals (public and private) in Austria from 2002 to 2024. RESULTS: The number of benign hysterectomies performed per year in Austria dropped from 10,675 in 2002 to 7,747 in 2014, a decline of 27%, and increased slightly in the following years until 2024 (Table 1). Considering the population increase between 2014 and 2024, the rate of hysterectomies now looks stable. Between 2002 and 2024 the percentage of benign hysterectomies done vaginally declined from 53% to 30% (−23%), whereas laparoscopic techniques increased from 6% to 48%. Benign hysterectomies performed abdominally dropped from 41% to 15%. Robotic hysterectomies were first coded in 2022 and in 2024 accounted for 7% of procedures in 2024. CONCLUSIONS: Following a 27% decline between 2002 and 2014, the number of benign hysterectomies in Austria was stable between 2014 and 2024. There was a further shift towards MI procedures (2002, 59%; 2014, 79%; 2024, 85%). Within the MI group, there was a marked shift from vaginal to laparoscopic access.Table 1