There are two methods of performing women’s gynecologic surgery on the reproductive organs and pelvic area: traditional or “open” surgery, and minimally invasive surgery.
In this article the skilled and experienced gynecologic surgeons at Hutzel Women’s Health in Warren, MI explain the difference between traditional or “open” surgery and minimally invasive surgery.
Traditional or Open Women’s Surgery
A traditional -or “open”- women’s surgery requires the surgeon to make a large incision along the abdomen. This abdominal incision can be anywhere from 6-12 inches long, which can result in severe scarring, as well as other complication.
While it fluctuates depending on what procedure the patient has undergone, most traditional open surgeries will require the patient to stay in the hospital for three to five days. Recovery from most women’s open surgeries is even more time-consuming, taking anywhere from four to six weeks to fully recover.
Minimally Invasive Women’s Surgery
1979 saw a huge breakthrough in the field of medicine when it was demonstrated that many traditional open surgeries could be performed with significantly smaller incisions, thanks to laparoscopic techniques.
Minimally invasive surgery procedures are performed by making substantially smaller incisions than those made during traditional open surgeries. Incisions in minimally invasive surgeries range from .5 to 2mm, and result in far less complications, exponentially faster recovery times, far less scarring, and more affordable hospitalization costs.
Minimally Invasive Laparoscopic Women’s Surgery
During laparoscopic surgery, a small, thin camera called a laparoscope is inserted near the navel through a small incision. The laparoscope then sends images from the surgical cavity to high-definition video monitors, where they can then be observed by the surgeon.
The surgeon will then carefully examine the surgical area to determine if it is safe to proceed with minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. Large amounts of inflammation within the surgical area -or anything else that prevents clear view of the structures- may result in the surgeon having to make a larger “open” incision prior to moving forward with the operation.
During the minimally invasive woman’s surgery itself, the surgeon will use the monitor to observe the images captured by the laparoscope. In doing so, the surgeon is able to perform the same operations they would during a traditional open surgery, but by making significantly smaller incisions (each of which is called a “port”). Each port then has a tubular instrument -called a trochar- inserted into it. During the procedure, small surgical instruments pass through the trochars to perform the minimally invasive women’s surgery.
daVinci Robotic Minimally Invasive Women’s Surgery
Robotic surgery, or robot-assisted surgery, is a kind of minimally invasive laparoscopic women’s surgery that allows doctors to perform surgery with more precision, flexibility and control through the assistance of robotic technology.
There is a common misconception that robotic-assisted surgery is actually performed by a robot. This is untrue. During minimally invasive robotic-assisted women’s surgery, the surgeon uses a computer console to guide the robotic instruments as they perform the surgery. The surgery is assisted by robotics technology, but the surgery itself is still performed by a human being.
Minimally invasive women’s surgery is proven to result in fewer complications than traditional open surgeries, but that is far from the only major benefit they offer. Minimally invasive women’s Surgeries are also less painful than traditional surgeries, and they result in less blood loss. Patients recover significantly quicker from minimally invasive surgery than they do from other procedures, and the small size of the incisions mean less noticeable scarring.
Minimally Invasive Women’s Surgery – Warren, MI
The method of surgery that will be best for you will depend on the type of surgery you need, the extent or severity of the medical condition being treated, your age and overall health, and many other factors. In most cases, however minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery of some kind offers the best results with the easiest recovery.
The skilled and experienced gynecologic surgeons at Hutzel Women’s Health in Warren, MI will offer you a thorough examination and consultation to help you decide which type of women’s surgery is best for you.