Minimally Invasive Surgery

What is minimally invasive surgery?

Minimally invasive surgery is a sophisticated method of performing operations that doesn’t require the large incisions necessary for traditional open surgery.

Where possible, your surgeon uses natural access points into your pelvic area, like your vagina. If there isn’t a way of using this approach, they make small incisions that are about the width of a dime.

Your surgeon fits specialized instruments into these incisions, guided by a view screen that shows them the surgery site inside your body. The camera that sends the images to the monitor is at the end of a flexible tube called a laparoscope. Your surgeon inserts the laparoscope first, then carries out the surgery by following the images on the screen.

Advanced Women's Health Specialists has particular expertise in minimally invasive gynecological surgery. They also use the da Vinci advanced robotic-assisted surgical system that provides even greater precision.

What are the advantages of minimally invasive surgery?

Minimally invasive surgery has considerable advantages over the traditional large incisions used in open surgery. These advantages include:

• Less pain
• Lower risk of infection
• Less blood loss 
• Minimal tissue damage
• Shorter hospital stay 
• Faster recovery
• Much smaller scars

Your chances of developing complications after minimally invasive surgery are significantly lower. Also, some patients who wouldn’t be able to have open surgery are able to receive treatment using minimally invasive techniques.

An advantage of the da Vinci robot-assisted system is that it works as an extension of your surgeon’s arms and hands - it’s always under their control, but gives them greatly increased dexterity.

What conditions does minimally invasive surgery treat?

Minimally invasive surgery is becoming increasingly popular for a range of gynecological operations. For many of these types of surgeries, the minimally invasive approach is standard.

Advanced Women's Health Specialists uses minimally invasive surgery in the treatment of such conditions as:

• Polyps
• Uterine fibroids
• Ovarian cysts 
• Menorrhagia (painful periods)
• Metrorrhagia (irregular periods)
• Pelvic pain
• Endometriosis
• Gynecologic cancer

Your doctor can also use minimally invasive techniques for pelvic prolapse and vaginal reconstruction, as well as female sterilization procedures such as tubal ligation.

Your Advanced Women's Health Specialists provider can even use minimally invasive surgery to carry out procedures like oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries) and hysterectomy (removal of the uterus).

If you’d like to know more about minimally invasive surgery or wish to make an appointment, call Advanced Women's Health Specialists today or arrange a consultation using the online tool.