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Hysterectomy is a very common operation. The uterus may be completely removed, partially removed, or may be removed with the tubes and ovaries. A partial hysterectomy is removal of just the upper portion of the uterus, leaving the cervix and the base of the uterus are left intact. A total hysterectomy is removal of the entire uterus and the cervix . A radical hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus, both fallopian tubes, both ovaries, and the upper part of the vagina.

A hysterectomy may be done through an abdominal incision (abdominal hysterectomy) or through a vaginal incision (vaginal hysterectomy).

Learn more about Hysterectomy - series

Review Date: 2/28/2011
Reviewed By: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc., and Susan Storck, MD, FACOG, Chief, Eastside Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, Bellevue, Washington; Clinical Teaching Faculty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine.
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