If you’ve been advised to get a full or partial hysterectomy, you may be feeling anxious. Having your uterus and possibly fallopian tubes and ovaries removed is major surgery that may send you into early menopause. The good news is that hysterectomy can alleviate painful symptoms and remove troubling growths. MemorialCare offers minimally invasive hysterectomy with the da VinciⓇ Surgical System for greater precision and a shorter recovery time.
What is a hysterectomy?
A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure that removes some or all of a woman’s reproductive organs. There are three types of hysterectomy:
- Partial hysterectomy: removes the upper uterus only
- Total hysterectomy: removes the entire uterus, including the cervix; fallopian tubes and ovaries are also removable
- Radical hysterectomy: removes the entire uterus and cervix, including the top of the vagina, plus ovaries and fallopian tubes
There are also different methods of performing a hysterectomy:
Through the vagina
This is the least invasive approach, with the shortest recovery time.
Through the lower abdomen
A large incision may be needed when the uterus is enlarged, or sizeable fibroids or other tumors are present. This method has an extended recovery time, and the risks are high.
Via laparoscopy
MemorialCare offers a high-tech, robotic version of laparoscopic surgery: the da Vinci Surgical System. Incisions are smaller, recovery time is shorter, and there are fewer risks than with an abdominal approach.
Why do I need a hysterectomy?
Radical hysterectomies are usually performed only in cases of cancer. Other medical conditions that may be improved or resolved with a hysterectomy include:
- Uterine fibroids
- Uterine prolapse
- Endometriosis
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding
- Chronic pelvic pain
- Thickened uterus
- Uterine cancer
Robotic-Assisted Hysterectomy Surgery
In recent years, many women have taken advantage of a less invasive, robot-assisted approach to hysterectomy that is known for smaller incisions, less pain, faster recovery, and a shorter hospital stay.
How Robotic-Assisted Surgeries are Performed
Through robotic-assisted visualization, dexterity, precision and control, a surgeon can perform a wide array of procedures through small 1–2 cm incisions. During an operation, the surgeon sits at a console in the surgical suite and directs the robotic arms to perform the surgery. The robot seamlessly and directly translates the surgeon’s natural hand, wrist and finger movements from controls at the console to the surgical instruments inside the patient.
Enabling Surgeons with
- Greater range of motion and precision than with hand-manipulated, minimally invasive procedures.
- A magnified, high definition three-dimensional view when operating.
- Instruments that become an extension of the surgeon’s wrists, hands and fingers to move the tiny surgical instruments in a delicate, precise manner.
Benefits of Robotic-Assisted Surgery
- Less post-operative pain
- Reduced trauma to the body
- Less scarring
- Shorter hospital stays
- Reduced blood loss and need for transfusions
- Quicker recovery and return to normal activities
Robotic-Assisted Single-Site Hysterectomy Surgery
Now Virtually Scarless
A new “single site” procedure takes the many benefits of robot-assisted hysterectomy a step further by decreasing the number of incisions from four to one. With just one, one-inch incision, hidden in the navel, it’s what you don’t see that is so impressive – no visible scar, or a minimally visible scar.
What is the da Vinci Surgical System?
The da Vinci system is the first robotic surgical system to be approved by the FDA. A minuscule camera on a robotic arm provides a high-definition 3D image of the operating area.
Your surgeon’s finger movements command the camera and the tiny, highly flexible surgical tools. The da Vinci tools can perform more precise bending, twisting, and rotating movements than a human hand can, which facilitates the performance of complex and delicate procedures.
Advantages of the da Vinci System include:
- Smaller incisions
- Less blood loss
- Fewer complications
- Less pain
- Quicker recovery
- Smaller scars