Figure 37-5

Radical hysterectomy. This operation is usually performed for the treatment of cervical carcinoma. Therefore, the goals include resection of the parametria and upper vagina to achieve a clear surgical margin around the cancer. Radical hysterectomy does not imply removal of the tubes and ovaries, which may often be preserved in young women. The cardinal ligament and major portions of the uterosacral and vesicouterine ligaments are resected as part of the radical hysterectomy. (Reprinted with permission from Clarke-Pearson D, Dawood Y. Green's Gynecology, 4th Ed. Little, Brown, Boston, 1990.)