In the not-too-distant past, all surgeries required large incisions, which caused lots of damage to surrounding tissue, including muscle.
The large incisions were necessary so the surgeon could fully examine the problem and take all steps necessary. Patients lost significant blood, endured long recoveries, had notable scarring, and were at a heightened risk of infection following their procedure.
Although these open surgery techniques are still used when they’re absolutely necessary, many surgeries today — including gynecological procedures — are done using advanced, minimally invasive techniques.
At Capital Women’s Care in Silver Spring and Laurel, Maryland, the experienced surgical team is proud to offer minimally invasive surgery for many gynecological procedures.
Minimally invasive surgery allows the patient to recover faster with little scarring and fewer complications. The surgeon is able to perform procedures with greater accuracy and precision.
Take a moment to explore which conditions qualify for minimally invasive surgery.
During minimally invasive surgery, your provider makes just a few small incisions, tiny enough that surgical equipment and a camera can be inserted through them.
The images from the camera are projected onto a screen in the operating room. Your provider uses these images to direct small, long-handled tools to perform the necessary actions needed to restore your health.
Gynecological procedures address the internal female reproductive system, which is made up of the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, vagina, and cervix. Symptoms like pelvic pain, infertility, or irregular or heavy vaginal bleeding may indicate a problem in one of these organs.
Specific gynecological conditions that require surgery include:
Here at Capital Women’s Care, we can use minimally invasive surgery to address all of these gynecological concerns.
A minimally invasive hysterectomy, either partial or total, may be an answer to endometriosis, pelvic pain, or fibroids.
Minimally invasive surgery can also repair pelvic organ prolapse or for a myomectomy — removal of uterine fibroids. We can also perform an endometriosis resection, or removal of errant endometrial tissue, through minimally invasive surgery.
Your surgeon recommends minimally invasive surgery whenever possible. Open surgery is sometimes the best option, however, depending on the condition being treated and the patient.
Obese patients or women who have had previous open surgery in the abdomen are not good candidates for minimally invasive procedures.
Surgery is usually not the first step in your treatment, either. The providers at Capital Women’s Care recommend it only after other conservative treatments, like medication or lifestyle changes, haven’t worked.
If you’d like to learn more about the gynecology services offered at Capital Women’s Care, call or use this website to request your appointment today.
