It used to be that hysterectomies involved a major incision and weeks of recovery. But that has changed in a big way. Now, computerized robotic arms are turning this common surgery into a much easier process.
Martha O’Neil needed a full hysterectomy, but was back on her feet just days after the surgery thanks to a new procedure called single site hysterectomy.
Nancy Rector-Finney, MD, Four Seasons OB/GYN in San Antonio told Ivanhoe, “It’s revolutionized hysterectomies.”
“It” is a robot called da Vinci and it can assist a doctor performing a hysterectomy through a four centimeter incision in the belly button. The single site in the belly button is the entry port for the tiny robotic arms that do the intricate cuts and sutures doctors once did internally through a large incision across the abdomen.
“We separate all the structures that are holding it in place, and the blood supply, and then we cut it. This way we’re able to do the whole hysterectomy through that two centimeter incision. It’s pretty incredible,” Dr. Rector-Finney explained.
The procedure has many benefits, like less chance of infection and a much quicker recovery time. However, single site doesn’t work for every woman.
Dr. Rector-Finney told Ivanhoe, “You have to have a uterus a certain size and you have to make sure there’s not a lot of scar tissue from previous surgeries, because you’re limited on how the instruments can be used in order to get the uterus out.”
Another big benefit of single site is virtually no scarring. O’Neil explained, “It looks like an eyelash scar. You can barely even see the scar.” A surgery that used to be so involved is now getting women back to their busy lives in no time at all.
Doctors say the average patient can usually go back to work in just a couple of weeks after the procedure, and the amount of pain medication needed is much less than previous methods required. It is considered an out-patient surgery.
