Think – Write – Connect

A hysterectomy is an extremely daunting prospect to face. A woman considering a hysterectomy procedure is certainly faced with a number of choices and consequences. Some of these consequences, such as the loss of the ability to produce children, are inescapable no matter what type of hysterectomy procedure a woman chooses. However, recent advances in the field of gynecological surgery have provided women with new options., With the development of the Da Vinci Surgical System, women now have a less invasive and less risky option when considering a hysterectomy procedure.

Accounting for 75% of all hysterectomies in the United States, an abdominal hysterectomy is considered to be an invasive hysterectomy procedure. The procedure involves a 6-12 inch incision across the abdomen. The reason for this incision is that it gives the surgical team the maximum amount of room to work as well as providing the most encompassing view of the affected area. Additionally, any previously undiscovered conditions, such as uterine cancer, can be dealt with more efficiently.

Due to the invasiveness of the procedure, an abdominal hysterectomy presents a higher risk of post-surgery complications and infections. This is compounded by the already substantial recovery time, which ranges from six to eight weeks. The hospital stay for an abdominal hysterectomy is usually one or two days, but can be as long as four. After the hysterectomy procedure, recovery involves a severe limitation of activities, which are gradually increased over the course of the recovery period.

In contrast, a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery offers gynecological patients with a considerably less invasiveoption. The Da Vinci Surgical System is a two-part robotic surgery system that utilizes both a patient cart, equipped with tiny robotic arms that actually perform the surgery, and a surgical console, with controls that manipulate the robotic arms. Essentially, the Da Vinci Surgical System only requires a surgeon to manipulate the controls while seated comfortably at the console, and a surgical assistant to change the tools on the robotic arms and monitor the patient. The surgeon is able to see the entire area he or she is working on with the help of a fully 3-dimensional camera attached to one of the robotic arms.

In a Da Vinci hysterectomy procedure, the robotic arms minimize the size of the incisions necessary to reach the affected organs, which results in a far less invasive hysterectomy procedure. Consequently, the reduced invasiveness minimizes the risk of infections as well as post-surgical complications. While there are several more incisions made in a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery, the incisions are only 1-2 centimeters long.

The 3D image gives the surgeon a more accurate view of the affected organs than other less invasive procedures such as a laparoscopic hysterectomy, which only provides a 2-dimensional view. This, coupled with the surgeon being able to sit comfortably at the surgical console for the entire hysterectomy procedure, enhances the surgeon’s effectiveness without the need for a large surgical team.

Due to the more effective performance by the smaller surgical team, and the reduced invasiveness of the procedure, the recovery times from a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery are significantly shorter than the recovery from a traditional abdominal hysterectomy. Recovery times are reduced to as little as one to two weeks from a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery, as compared to the six to eight weeks after an abdominal hysterectomy. Additionally, there is a reduced risk of infection and complications after a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery. The rate of complications after an abdominal hysterectomy is significantly greater than those following a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery.

Da Vinci Robotic Surgery is not only easier on patients. Surgeons who have used the Da Vinci Surgical System are also impressed with the method. According to Dr. Dennis Eisenberg, a Dallas-based gynecologist certified on the Da Vinci Surgical System, “The Da Vinci Robotic Surgery has proven to be extremely effective. It makes procedures easier for me, as well as less invasive for the patients, both for their bodies and their aftercare. With all that goes into a hysterectomy procedure, the Da Vinci Surgical System makes it better for everyone involved.”

With the increasing number of robotic surgeries performed by the system, a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery is fast becoming a more desired and respected option for patients who must undergo a hysterectomy procedure. The Da Vinci Surgical System allows for more effective performance from the procedure, a less risky option for the patients, and a more comfortable experience for all involved.