Minimally Invasive & DaVinci Robotic Surgery

The physicians of Alliance OB/GYN are specialists in minimally invasive and robotic surgery. Physicians are usually successful at treating a variety of gynecologic conditions – particularly those affecting the uterus – with surgery. In spite of growing demand for minimally invasive procedures, the majority of these operations are still performed using large, abdominal incisions. These surgeries typically result in significant blood loss, and may mean several days in the hospital followed by weeks of recovery time.

Today, a less invasive surgical treatment option is available. If your doctor recommends surgery for your condition, you may be a candidate for one of three new, minimally invasive procedures – da Vinci®Hysterectomy, da Vinci® Myomectomy and da Vinci®Sacrocolpopexy.

These procedures use the state-of-the-art da Vinci® Surgical System, designed to help your surgeon perform a more precise, less invasive procedure. For most patients, minimally invasive procedures performed with the da Vinci® Surgical System can offer numerous potential benefits over traditional surgery, including:

Shorter hospital stay
Less pain and scarring
Less risk of infection
Less blood loss and fewer transfusions
Faster recovery
Quicker return to normal activities.

HYSTERECTOMY

A wide variety of conditions affect the uterus, or womb. The uterus is a hollow, muscular organ which holds and feeds a fertilized egg. Traditionally, many conditions affecting the uterus are treated with hysterectomy – the surgical removal of the uterus. U.S. doctors perform about 600,000 hysterectomies every year, making it the second most common surgical procedure.

Hysterectomy may offer a life-saving treatment for serious conditions such as cancer or uncontrollable bleeding. In most cases, however, hysterectomy is an elective procedure performed to relieve chronic pain, bleeding or other disabling conditions. These may be caused by fibroids (noncancerous tumors); endometriosis (non-cancerous growth of the uterine lining) or prolapse (falling or slipping of the uterus).

Hysterectomy can sometimes be performed through the vagina. However, when the uterus is enlarged – for example, from fibroids or cancer – an abdominal hysterectomy is preferable. This requires a 6-12 inch incision. In some cases, doctors also remove the ovaries because they are thought to release hormones contributing to the condition.

While hysterectomy is relatively safe, it may not be appropriate or necessary for all individuals or conditions. Alternative treatments that can preserve the uterus and ovaries may be available. Always ask your doctor about all treatment options, as well as the risks and benefits.

DA VINCI® HYSTERECTOMY

If your doctor recommends a hysterectomy, you may be a candidate for a new, less invasive surgical procedure called da Vinci® Hysterectomy. This procedure uses a state-of-the-art surgical system designed to help your surgeon perform a more precise, minimally invasive procedure.

In some cases, surgeons may be able to offer a uterine-preserving procedure as an alternative to hysterectomy. These include myomectomy or sacrocolpopexy, which can also be performed using the da Vinci® Surgical System in a minimally invasive approach.

UTERINE FIBROIDS

A uterine fibroid is a common type of benign (non-cancerous) tumor that develops within the uterine wall. Uterine fibroids occur in up to one third of all women and are the leading reason for hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) in the United States. One in five women older than 35 years has a uterine fibroid. An estimated 600,000 hysterectomies are performed in the United States annually, and at least one third are for fibroids.

Uterine fibroids may grow as a single tumor or in clusters. They often increase in size and frequency with age, but then revert in size after menopause. While not all women with fibroids experience symptoms, some experience excessive menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain and infertility.

MYOMECTOMY

A common alternative to hysterectomy is myomectomy – or surgical removal of uterine fibroids. This procedure preserves the uterus, and may be recommended for women who with to become pregnant. About 65,000 myomectomies are performed annually in the United States.

Myomectomy is often performed through a large abdominal incision. After removing each fibroid, the surgeon carefully repairs the uterus, to minimize potential bleeding, infection and scarring. Proper repair of the uterus is critical to reducing the risk of uterine rupture during pregnancy.

DA VINCI® MYOMECTOMY: A LESS INVASIVE SURGICAL PROCEDURE

If your doctor recommends surgical treatment, you may be a candidate for a new, less invasive surgical procedure called da Vinci® Myomectomy. This procedure uses a state-of-the-art surgical system designed to help your surgeon perform a more precise, minimally invasive procedure designed to preserve the uterus. For most women, da Vinci® Myomectomy offers numerous potential benefits over traditional surgical approaches, including:

Shorter hospital stay
Less pain and scarring
Less risk of wound infection
Less blood loss and fewer transfusions
Faster recovery
Quicker return to normal activities
Uterine preservation

As with any surgery, these benefits cannot be guaranteed, as surgery is patient- and procedure-specific.

To learn more about da Vinci® Myomectomy, talk with your doctor.

DA VINCI® SACROCOLPOPEXY FOR UTERINE OR VAGINAL VAULT PROLAPSE

The Condition:

120,000+ cases of uterine and vaginal vault prolapse are surgically treated each year in the U.S. Prolapse (or falling) of any pelvic floor organ (vagina, uterus, bladder or rectum) occurs when the connective tissues or muscles within the body cavity are weak and unable to hold the pelvis in its natural orientation.

The weakening of connective tissues accelerates with age, after child birth, with weight gain and strenuous physical labor. Women experiencing pelvic organ prolapse typically have problems with urinary incontinence, vaginal ulceration, sexual dysfunction and/or having a bowel movement.

The Treatment:

Sacrocolpopexy is a procedure to surgically correct vaginal vault prolapse where mesh is used to hold the vagina in the correct anatomical position. This procedure can also be performed following a hysterectomy to treat uterine prolapse to provide long-term support of the vagina.

Sacrocolpopexy has traditionally been performed as an open surgery. A 15-30cm horizontal incision is made in the lower abdomen in order to manually access the inter-abdominal organs, including the uterus.

DA VINCI® SACROCOLPOPEXY

If your doctor recommends sacrocolpopexy, you may be a candidate for a new surgical procedure called da Vinci® Sacrocolpopexy. This procedure uses a state-of-the-art surgical system designed to help your surgeon perform a minimally invasive surgery through small incisions.

For most women, da Vinci® Sacrocolpopexy offers numerous potential benefits over a traditional open approach: