Texas Robotic Gynecology: Services

Gynecologic Surgery

When medication and non-invasive procedures are unable to relieve symptoms, surgery remains the accepted and most effective treatment for a range of gynecologic conditions. These include, but are not limited to, cervical and uterine cancer, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, uterine prolapse and menorrhagia or excessive bleeding.

Traditional open gynecologic surgery, using a large incision for access to the uterus and surrounding anatomy, has for many years been the standard approach to many gynecologic procedures. Yet with open surgery can come significant pain, trauma, a long recovery process and threat to surrounding organs and nerves. For women facing gynecologic surgery, the period of pain, discomfort and extended time away from normal daily activities that usually follows traditional surgery can understandably cause significant anxiety.[read more below]

Fortunately, less invasive options are available. Some gynecologic procedures enable surgeons to access the target anatomy using a vaginal approach, which may not require an external incision.

For complex hysterectomies and other gynecologic procedures, robot-assisted surgery with the da Vinci® Surgical System may be the most effective, least invasive treatment option. Through small, 1-2 cm incisions, surgeons using the da Vinci System* can operate with greater precision and control, minimizing the pain and risk associated with large incisions while increasing the likelihood of a fast recovery and excellent clinical outcomes.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a condition that may require surgery, you owe it to yourself to learn about all of your medical options, including the most effective, least invasive surgical treatments available.

Among the options offered, UTMB features the da Vinci® Surgical System, which provides surgeons with an alternative to both traditional open surgery and conventional laparoscopy, putting a surgeon's hands at the controls of a state-of-the-art robotic platform. The da Vinci System enables surgeons to perform even the most complex and delicate procedures through very small incisions with unmatched precision.

For the patient, the benefits of minimally invasive procedures may include:

• Significantly less pain
• Less blood loss
• Less scarring
• Shorter recovery time
• A faster return to normal daily activities
• And in many cases, better clinical outcomes

Hysterectomy

Physicians perform hysterectomy – the surgical removal of the uterus – to treat a wide variety of uterine conditions. Each year in the U.S. alone, doctors perform approximately 600,000 hysterectomies, making it the second most common surgical procedure. [READ MORE]

Uterine Conditions & Treatment

When a woman faces a medical condition that affects her uterus, the hollow, muscular organ that holds and feeds a fertilized egg, the emotional impact can often be as challenging as the physical. These conditions include, but are not limited to, cervical and uterine cancers such as endometrial cancer, uterine fibroids, uterine prolapse, excessive bleeding and endometriosis. Treatment options are as varied as the conditions themselves, depending on individual circumstances. A woman’s age, health history, surgical history and diagnosis (benign or cancerous), all factor into the recommended course of action. [READ MORE]

Fibroids & Treatment Options

Uterine fibroids* are benign (non-cancerous) tumors occurring in at least one quarter of all women.1 They can grow underneath the uterine lining, inside the uterine wall, or outside the uterus. Many women don’t feel any symptoms with uterine tumors or fibroids. But for others, these fibroids can cause excessive menstrual bleeding (also called menorrhagia), abnormal periods, uterine bleeding, pain, discomfort, frequent urination and infertility. [READ MORE]

Hysteroscopic Sterilization (Essure)

Essure is a permanent birth control procedure that can be performed in an office setting in less than 10 minutes. There’s no surgery, burning or slowing down to recover—-patients can get back to normal activities quickly. In the procedure, a soft, flexible insert in placed into each fallopian tube. The inserts do not contain or release hormones and are made of materials that have been used in medical devices for many years. Your body works with these inserts to form a natural barrier that prevents sperm from reaching the eggs. [READ MORE]

Other Procedures Offered

• Robotic salphygo-oophorectomy (surgical removal of a fallopian tube and an ovary, often performed to treat ovarian or other gynecological cancers, or infections caused by pelvic inflammatory disease. Occasionally, removal of one or both ovaries may be done to treat endometriosis)
• Robotic endometriosis excision (treatment for endometriosis, a female health disorder that occurs when cells from the lining of the womb (uterus) grow in other areas of the body.)
• Robotic myomectomy: Removal of uterine fibroids through small incisions
• Robotic abdominal cerclage: A surgical procedure in which the opening to the uterus (the cervix) is stitched closed in order to prevent a miscarriage or premature birth.
• Robotic Burch (surgical treatment for stress incontinence)
  
• Robotic sacrocolpopexy (procedure to surgically correct vaginal vault prolapse where mesh is used to hold the vagina in the correct anatomical position. This procedure can also be performed following a hysterectomy to treat uterine prolapse to provide long-term support of the vagina.)
• Robotic appendectomy
• Robotic metroplasty (uterine restoration)
• Robotic Luna procedure (for pelvic pain)
• Robotic high uterosacral fixation (for pelvic prolapse)
• Robotic trachelectomy (surgical removal of the cervix)
• Laparoscopic/Robotic bladder/bowel repair
• Tubal reanastomisis (tubal ligation reversal)