Results Prophylactic antibiotics  prevent inflammatory complications after gynaecological surgery .
Prophylactic antibiotics are more effective in surgery requiring access to the peritoneal cavity or the vagina .
Cefotetan appears to be more capable in preventing the overall inflammatory complication rate than cefoxitin or cefazolin .
No benefit has been shown for the combination of antibiotics as prophylaxis .
No difference has been shown between the long-term and short-term use of antibiotics .
There is no need for the primary use of an anaerobic antibacterial agent .
Conclusion Antibiotics help to prevent postoperative inflammatory complications after major gynecologic surgeries
Purpose The aim of this study was to systematic ally review the literature on antibiotic prophylaxis in gynaecologic surgeries to prevent inflammatory complications after gynaecological operations .
Vaginal hysterectomy: cefuroxime, metronidazole or both?
A r and omized double-blind prospect i ve study on the efficacy of single-dose antibiotic prophylaxis compared cefuroxime versus metronidazole versus the combination of both agents in vaginal hysterectomy . Overall antibiotic prophylaxis was effective in abscess prevention ( one abscess in 68 patients ) . In the metronidazole group a significantly higher grade of morbidity was observed : febrile morbidity 41 % versus 4 % in the two other groups ; bacteriuria 73 % versus 17 % in the cefuroxime group , versus 13 % in the combined group ; urinary tract infection 23 % , versus 0 % in the two other groups ; post-operative prescription of antibiotics 41 % , versus 0 % in the two other groups . Febrile morbidity and bacteriuria correlated positively withEscherichia coli and Proteus spp . These micro-organisms were recovered significantly more often from the vagina of patients in the metronidazole group . Cefuroxime was successful , metronidazole failed in the prevention of minor morbidity . We could not observe any effect from the addition of metronidazole to the cefuroxime prophylaxis
Results Prophylactic antibiotics  prevent inflammatory complications after gynaecological surgery .
Prophylactic antibiotics are more effective in surgery requiring access to the peritoneal cavity or the vagina .
Cefotetan appears to be more capable in preventing the overall inflammatory complication rate than cefoxitin or cefazolin .
No benefit has been shown for the combination of antibiotics as prophylaxis .
No difference has been shown between the long-term and short-term use of antibiotics .
There is no need for the primary use of an anaerobic antibacterial agent .
Conclusion Antibiotics help to prevent postoperative inflammatory complications after major gynecologic surgeries
Purpose The aim of this study was to systematic ally review the literature on antibiotic prophylaxis in gynaecologic surgeries to prevent inflammatory complications after gynaecological operations .