Hysterectomy for Benign Conditions

Many benign (non-cancerous) conditions can affect a woman’s reproductive system to the extent where a hysterectomy is advised. Doctors often recommend hysterectomy when medication or lifestyle changes do not provide a cure or ease your symptoms.

The most common surgery to treat gynecologic conditions such as heavy bleeding, fibroids, endometriosis and pelvic prolapse is a hysterectomy – the removal of the uterus. In fact, one in three women in the U.S. will have a hysterectomy before she turns 60.1While this figure is lower in many other parts of the world, hysterectomy is still a common procedure worldwide.

Nowadays, many women avoid the large incision and 4-6 week2 recovery that come with traditional open hysterectomy by choosing minimally invasive surgery. Standard laparoscopic surgery is minimally invasive, but the long-handled, rigid instruments can be challenging for surgeons in more delicate or complex operations.

Hysterectomy for Early Stage Cancer

The Condition: Early Stage Gynecologic Cancer

A wide variety of cancers can affect a woman’s reproductive system, which includes the uterus, vagina, ovaries and fallopian tubes. The uterus is a hollow, muscular organ, about the size of a fist, which holds a baby during pregnancy. The fallopian tubes and ovaries are located on either side of the uterus.

The most common types of gynecologic cancers are cervical, endometrial or uterine, and ovarian cancer. The specific type of cancer a woman has and how advanced it is determines her treatment options.

Women with early stage gynecologic cancer are often treated with hysterectomy – the surgical removal of the uterus. Your doctor may also need to remove your ovaries, fallopian tubes and/or select lymph nodes.

The Treatment: Hysterectomy

If you have a gynecologic cancer, hysterectomy may be your best treatment option. The type of hysterectomy you have will depend on your medical history, health and the extent or stage of the cancer.

Traditionally, hysterectomies for cancer have long been performed using open abdominal surgery. This type of surgery requires a long incision from the pubic bone to just above the navel. An open abdominal hysterectomy can be painful, involve heavy medication, risk of infection, significant blood loss and a long recovery. Unfortunately, recovery time may also overlap with a secondary treatment – usually radiation or chemotherapy.

Instead of using traditional open surgery, many gynecologic oncologists can now treat cancers minimally invasively – without a large incision or long recovery. Traditional laparoscopic surgery uses small incisions and is effective for many routine procedures. However, the long-handled, manually operated and, rigid instruments used for laparoscopy are not considered effective for more delicate or complex operations.

da Vinci® vs. Open and Laparoscopic Surgery

da Vinci Hysterectomy offers women many potential benefits over traditional surgery, including:

• Less pain
• Fewer complications
• Less blood loss
• Shorter hospital stay
• Low risk of wound infection
• Quicker recovery and return to normal activities

As shown below, research looking at hysterectomy outcomes for benign (non-cancerous) conditions using two methods – da Vinci Surgery and traditional laparoscopic surgery – found that da Vinci Surgery offers many potential advantages over laparoscopy.

What does this mean for you?

Ultimately, potential benefits including shorter hospital stay, less blood loss and fewer surgical complications allow women to get back to their lives faster. And, unlike conventional laparoscopic surgery, da Vinci Surgery enables doctors to treat women with very complex conditions or symptoms, such as:

• Enlarged uterus due to fibroids
• Pelvic adhesive disease caused by endometriosis or prior surgeries

da Vinci Surgery is allowing gynecologists to perform far more minimally invasive procedures with equal or better outcomes compared to traditional open and laparoscopic surgery.

The da Vinci System is a state-of-the-art surgical platform with 3D, high-definition vision and miniaturized, wristed surgical instruments designed to help doctors take surgery beyond the limits of the human hand. By helping doctors to overcome the challenges of traditional open and laparoscopic surgery, da Vinci is changing the experience of surgery for women around the world.

If you have been putting off treatment for a gynecologic condition, it’s time to ask your doctor about da Vinci Surgery. Learn why da Vinci Hysterectomy may be your best treatment option.

As with any surgery, these benefits cannot be guaranteed since surgery is specific to each patient, condition and procedure. It is important to talk to your doctor about all treatment options, including the risks and benefits. This information can help you to make the best decision for your situation.

da Vinci Sacrocolpopexy

For many women, da Vinci sacrocolpopexy surgery may be the best treatment option to repair pelvic prolapse, including vaginal vault prolapse (Sacrocolpopexy). Your doctor will perform a physical exam to determine the best way to completely repair the prolapse. Pelvic prolapse surgery is known as sacrocolpopexy. Surgical mesh is used to hold the affected pelvic organ(s) in the correct anatomical position. This procedure can also be performed after a hysterectomy to treat uterine prolapse. It provides long-term support of the vagina.1

Prolapse surgery has traditionally been performed as open surgery. A long horizontal incision is made in the lower abdomen to access the pelvic organs, but recovery after open surgery is often lengthy. Prolapse surgery can also be performed minimally invasively – through small incisions – with laparoscopic surgery. Traditional laparoscopy may present challenges due to the long-handled, rigid instruments needed for the procedure. Fortunately, there is a minimally invasive option that overcomes the limits of traditional open and laparoscopic surgery – da Vinci Surgery.

da Vinci® Surgery

If your doctor recommends surgery to treat pelvic prolapse, you may be a candidate for da Vinci Sacrocolpopexy. Using state-of-the-art technology, da Vinci Surgery requires only a few tiny incisions, so you can get back to your life faster. The da Vinci System enables your doctor to operate with enhanced vision, precision, dexterity and control. da Vinci’s 3D, high-definition vision system allows surgeons to see key anatomy with immense depth and clarity– critical for complex conditions.

da Vinci Sacrocolpopexy offers several potential benefits over traditional open surgery, including:

• Less blood loss
• Minimal need for blood transfusions
• Shorter hospital stay

Potential benefits of da Vinci Surgery compared to traditional laparoscopy include:

• Less blood loss
• Much shorter operation
• Small incisions for minimal scarring

The da Vinci System is a state-of-the-art robotic surgical platform with 3D, high-definition vision and miniaturized, wristed instruments designed to help doctors take surgery beyond the limits of the human hand. Your doctor controls the da Vinci System which translates his/her hand movements into more precise movements of miniaturized instruments inside your body.

By helping doctors to overcome the challenges of traditional open and laparoscopic surgery, da Vinci is changing the experience of surgery for women around the world.

If you have been putting off treatment for pelvic prolapse, it’s time to ask your doctor about da Vinci Surgery.

As with any surgery, these benefits cannot be guaranteed since surgery is specific to each patient, condition and procedure. It is important to talk to your doctor about all treatment options, including the risks and benefits. This information can help you to make the best decision for your situation.

In addition to this content take a look at some personal experiences from real women with the da Vinci sacrocolpopexy by clicking here.