Laparoscopic Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy (LAVH) is not your mother's hysterectomy. In the old days, you stayed in the hospital for 4-6 days, didn't return to work for 6 weeks, and were left with a large scar. This is a relatively new surgical procedure that allows the uterus to be detached from inside the body by laparoscopic instruments while the doctor is viewing the uterus, tubes, and ovaries through a camera attached to a telescope.