Programs and Services
Minimally Invasive Robotic-Assisted Surgery
It is estimated that 20 to 40 percent of all American women have uterine fibroids, masses of smooth muscle cells that grow in the uterus. And 6 to 15 percent of American women are affected by endometriosis, a condition in which cells that normally grow inside the uterus grow outside of the uterus instead. While many women with these conditions have few if any symptoms, others experience mild to severe pelvic pain and excessive menstrual bleeding. And both conditions can adversely affect a woman’s ability to conceive. In fact, up to 40 percent of infertile women are found to have endometriosis.
While there are a variety of options available to treat both uterine fibroids and endometriosis, some women with severe symptoms or women who are unable to conceive because of these conditions face the prospect of surgery. That can mean undergoing open abdominal surgery, which requires a two- to three-day hospital stay and up to six weeks to fully recover, often with strict limitations. But now, thanks to a minimally invasive procedure called robotic-assisted surgery, these same women can be back to doing normal activities within a matter of days.
The Reproductive Medicine Center began offering women the option of robotic- assisted surgery just over a year ago and is one of just a few centers in the Midwest to offer the procedure. In robotic-assisted surgery, three to five small incisions – each about the diameter of a pencil – are made in the abdomen and pelvis. Telescopic instruments are inserted into the incisions and the instruments are then attached to robotic arms. The surgeon manipulates the arms from a remote console that provides a high-performance, three-dimensional image. The surgeon can remove uterine fibroids or endometrial tissue and, if needed, repair the uterus. The surgery is performed under general anesthesia on an outpatient basis. Patients usually go home the same day.
Procedure offers additional benefitsThe success rate for alleviating symptoms and restoring fertility are the same for robotic-assisted surgery as they are for open abdominal surgery, according to Estil Strawn, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin obstetrician/gynecologist and director of the Reproductive Medicine Center. But robotic-assisted surgery offers patients additional benefits. “Following robotic-assisted surgery, patients recover with less pain and discomfort and can expect to return to normal routines including work, social functioning and even exercise within three to five days,” Dr. Strawn said. Robotic-assisted surgery also lessens the potential of complications such as infection, bleeding and the slow return of normal urinary function. And since the incisions made during robotic-assisted surgery are so small, there is also an improved cosmetic result.
A woman’s eligibility for robotic-assisted surgery to treat uterine fibroids or endometriosis is determined by her physician and is based on a variety of factors including the severity of her condition and whether she has undergone previous surgeries. Says Dr. Strawn, “Some patients have indications that they would be better suited for medical therapy rather than surgery. And in some cases, surgical intervention may require more extensive operative procedures rather than a minimally invasive approach.”
The Reproductive Medicine Center also offers the option of robotic-assisted surgery to women seeking reversal of fallopian tube sterilization and was the first to perform the procedure in the state of Wisconsin. Although reversal of tubal sterilization is performed less frequently due to the availability and success of in vitro fertilization, some women prefer to conceive naturally. Robotic-assisted surgery offers suitable candidates another option for regaining fertility with a quicker recovery time than other surgical approaches.
Last Review Date: Dec. 30, 2008 Online Editor(s): Richard Petre |