The decision to have surgery is never easy. There are risks to even simple procedures and it’s often necessary to damage healthy tissue to gain access to the target of surgery. There are limits to the dexterity of your surgeon and the tools needed for the task.
Some gynecological conditions require surgical treatment, so it’s important to ensure patient safety while minimizing physical impact. There are about 600,000 hysterectomies performed annually in the United States, so these and other gynecological procedures happen frequently.
Since receiving Food and Drug Administration approval in 2005 for gynecological use, the da Vinci surgical system found fast acceptance as a superior surgical tool. The system uses three primary components: the surgeon’s console, the four-armed robotic patient’s cart, and a high-definition, three-dimensional imaging system.
The da Vinci system provides the surgeon with unparalleled control since robotic surgical tools can move in ways that a human hand can’t, and with great precision. This means smaller incisions and less damage to muscle walls and other tissue surrounding the surgical target. It also means less pain for you in the recovery phase, which is also a shorter duration than with conventional surgical techniques.
Small incisions reduce the risk of infection through less exposure, while speeding recovery with less slow-healing incision damage. The use of 3D imaging also requires only keyhole incisions, since the surgeon no longer requires open surgery to see their work area clearly.
While minimally invasive techniques provide clear benefits for hysterectomies, this is far from the only gynecological procedure suited to the da Vinci surgical system. Other surgeries performed using da Vinci robotic assistance include:
As with conventional surgery, you go through typical pre-surgery preparations such as temporarily discontinuing some medications and no eating for a period before your procedure. You typically receive general anesthesia before surgery.
You have one or more keyhole incisions made in your abdomen for surgical tools and imaging equipment, and an average da Vinci-assisted surgery generally lasts between one and three hours for procedures like a hysterectomy.
Depending on your procedure, you may not need an overnight hospital stay, but if you require it, you’ll likely be there only one night. Recovery time also depends on your procedure. Though it’s generally shorter and less painful than traditional surgery, you may still have recovery guidelines to follow.
Dr. Catalin Marinescu of OBGYN CARE specializes in minimally invasive robotic techniques with the da Vinci system. Contact either location of OBGYN CARE by phone or using the appointment request tool online to book your consultation to learn more about da Vinci robotically-assisted surgery.
