Hysterectomy is the second most common surgery for reproductive-aged women, behind only Cesarean section during childbirth. By age 60, more than one-third of all women have had a hysterectomy, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
While the decision of whether to have a hysterectomy is never easy, women now have more options than ever for the type of procedure. That includes a minimally invasive approach that only recently has become more widely available in New Jersey — robotic surgery.
Robotic surgery takes advantage of advanced technology to perform extremely delicate and complex procedures through a few small incisions. The result is less impact on the body and a quicker recovery compared with traditional “open” surgery, which requires a large incision to remove the uterus.
At CentraState Medical Center, we are now doing a large percentage of our hysterectomies using the robotic da Vinci® Surgical System. We are also using the robotic platform to treat a wide range of common women’s health issues, including ovarian cysts, endometriosis, uterine fibroids and pelvic organ prolapse.
How Robotics Works
During robotic surgery, thin instruments and tiny cameras with bright lighting are inserted through a few, very small incisions in the abdomen. The robotic equipment provides the surgeon with an extremely detailed, 3-D view of the surgical site — even better than the view he or she can get with a large, open incision.
The surgeon sits at a console a few feet away from the patient and has full control over the procedure. Computer technology translates the surgeon’s hand actions into movements of “wristed” robotic instruments, which are steadier than the human hand and can bend and twist far more than the wrist. The result is greater precision — in the case of hysterectomy, the ability to remove the uterus with the least possible injury to surrounding tissues.
Compared with traditional open surgery, robotic surgery has been shown to potentially reduce blood loss; lessen pain and scarring; decrease the risk of infection and other complications; and lead to a faster recovery time. Most hysterectomy patients at CentraState spend no more than a night in the hospital and return to normal activities within a few weeks.
Most but not all women are candidates for minimally invasive robotic surgery, depending on existing health conditions, such as excessive abdominal scar tissue from a history of prior surgeries.
Many Options for Women
CentraState has completed hundreds of robotic procedures for women since its robotic surgery program was launched in 2010, and it recently acquired the latest in robotic technology, the da Vinci Xi®. This advanced technology has allowed procedures to treat conditions that often cause chronic pain or bleeding for women, including:
- Endometriosis, which occurs when tissue that lines the inside of the uterus grows outside of the uterus. During robotic surgery, the surgeon can vaporize small growths with a laser, cauterize them to stop them from growing or remove them.
- Uterine fibroids, which are growths inside of the uterus. Robotic myomectomy allows the removal of fibroids while protecting the uterus — an important option for women who would still like to become pregnant.
- An ovarian cyst, which is a fluid-filled sac on the ovaries. Robotic cystectomy can also remove a cyst while preserving the ovary and the patient’s fertility.
- Pelvic prolapse, a condition in which pelvic organs such as the vagina or uterus move out of their normal position. In cooperation with urologists at CentraState, gynecologic surgeons perform robotic sacrocolpopexy, which uses surgical mesh to keep pelvic organs in place.
In severe cases, endometriosis and fibroids can also be definitively treated via robotic hysterectomy. Hysterectomy is most commonly performed to treat fibroids, heavy bleeding and pelvic pain.
While surgery is always our last choice to treat any health problem, our hope is that robotics will continue to make surgery as minimally invasive as possible for those who need it.
A Comprehensive Program
In addition to gynecologic procedures, the robotic system is used at CentraState for general, bariatric and urologic (with a focus on prostate) surgical procedures. In total, the hospital has performed more than 1,300 robotic procedures. For more information on robotic surgery at CentraState, call (866) CENTRA7.
