Vaginal hysterectomy: past, present, and future.

Vaginal hysterectomy is the oldest and least invasive of the hysterectomy techniques and fulfills the evidence-based requirements as the preferred route of hysterectomy for benign gynecologic disease. Currently, vaginal hysterectomy is commonly utilized for treating uterine prolapse, but despite proven safety and effectiveness, the use of vaginal hysterectomy for treating non-prolapse conditions has been and remains underutilized in surgical practice. Improving the use of vaginal hysterectomy in the future will likely depend on addressing the key issues of training and maintaining skills in the technique and increasing awareness of the scientific evidence supporting its use.