Minimally invasive surgery is an approach that bypasses the more significant, bigger incision in the abdomen. By using small key-hole artificial incisions in the stomach or using natural openings, doctors can treat a variety of gynecologic conditions surgically. The use of robotic and minimally invasive surgery in Miami is the best way to avoid risks that come with open gynecologic surgery.

What are the common gynecologic conditions that can benefit from nominally invasive surgery?

• Abnormal menstrual cycles
•  Heavy periods
• Painful intercourse
• Urinary loss
• Acute and chronic pelvic pain.

Doctors treat most of these conditions medically, but sometimes surgery is needed. You might already have a diagnosis of a fibroid in your uterus or a cyst on your ovary, or you might be suffering from chronic pain caused by endometriosis-  doctors can treat all these conditions surgically using a minimally invasive approach.

Why should you consider minimally invasive gynecologic surgery?

• It is a same-day surgery: Assisted surgeries help surgeons finish their operations faster, thus allowing enough time for patients to rest and recover.
• Smaller incisions mean less time in the operating room
• Minimal blood loss: Since minimally invasive surgeries require fewer incisions than open surgeries, there is minor tissue damage, and a patient does not lose a lot of blood.
• Minimal anesthesia effect: Your doctor may not need to use general anesthesia but local numbing medicine, thus decreasing symptoms like dizziness that come with the use of anesthesia.

• Fewer intraoperative complications
• Faster recovery and less use of narcotics: The small incisions heal relatively quicker than the larger incisions necessary for open surgeries.

What are the three main approaches to minimally invasive gynecologic surgery?

There is:

• Laparoscopic approach.
• Robotic-assisted laparoscopic approach
• Hysteroscopic approach.

What is the difference between laparoscopic surgery and robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery?

In traditional laparoscopic surgery, the surgeon is standing next to the operating table at the patient’s side while handling the laparoscopic instruments and manipulating them in real-time at the bedside. In robotic surgery, the surgeon places the laparoscopic instruments through small incisions and then attaches these instruments to the robot’s arms. The surgeon then proceeds to the automated console within the same room and controls those arms through the robot.

The robot has three arms that can act as the camera, but surgeons primarily use the camera in the middle port for gynecologic surgery. The other two arms are mainly for the actual operation. Once the console is in place, your surgeon will then move over to the console, allowing the operation and movement of the robotic arms on the patient. Looking through the console magnifies the operation site up to 10 times.

One of the most significant benefits of using the robot is making movements that the human hands cannot. A robotic arm provides an extended range of motion and improves surgical precision. There is delicate precision of the robot as a surgeon directs it. This delicate precision delivers minor trauma to your tissues and allows your body to heal faster.

If you are worried about the risks associated with open surgery, contact the office of  Peter A Khamvongsa, FACOG, FACS, to find out if minimally invasive surgery is a treatment option for your condition.