Objectives: To evaluate the influence of retroperitoneal drainage on intraoperative and postoperative morbidity in patients undergoing radical hysterectomy with pelvic and paraortic lymphadencctomies for early-stage cervical cancer.Materials and Methods: Medical record charts of patients who underwent radical hysterectomy for early cervical cancer from January 1990 to December 1994 were reviewed. Patients were organized into two groups. One group underwent the Miami modifications of the Wertheim-Meigs procedure, which includes reperitonealization and retroperitoneal drain placement. The other group underwent the same procedure without peritoneal closure or drain placement.The groups were compared with respect to operative and postoperative morbidity. The Fisher exact test and chi-square analysis were used to analyze the results.Results: One hundred five patients were included in the “drain” group and 89 were included in the “no drain” group. Both groups had similar demographic features, cancer stage, grade, and histology. There were no significant differences in operative or postoperative complications, including fever or lymphocyst formation.Conclusions: The use of retroperitoneal drains does not decrease morbidity in patients undergoing radical hysterectomy with lymphadenectomy for early cervical cancer.