Hysterectomy is a procedure in which the uterus is removed. Hysterectomy is performed for a variety of reasons such as: resolving pain associated with endometriosis, controlling heavy menstrual bleeding, and to help treat cancer that affects the reproductive organs.
Hysterectomy traditionally was performed through an abdominal incision or through a total vaginal approach. The vaginal approach to hysterectomy gives a much quicker recovery to the patient, and has a lower complication rate. Patients who undergo vaginal hysterectomy are usually discharged the same or next day from the hospital, while abdominal hysterectomy patients may stay 2 or 3 days in the hospital, and face a longer post-operative recovery. We now use laparoscopy in most cases to perform part or all of the hysterectomy when a vaginal hysterectomy can’t be done.
Laparoscopy is a procedure in which a thin lighted instrument with a camera is inserted through a small incision made near the navel and allows your physician to visualize the pelvic and reproductive organs. Several small ports can be placed into the abdomen through tiny incisions, allowing advanced tools to be placed to help a physician perform a hysterectomy. The physicians at the Dallas office of Health Central are performing cosmetic Laparoscopic Hysterectomies through a single incision hidden deep in the belly button.
Compared with an abdominal hysterectomy, the recovery from these small laparoscopic incisions is much more rapid, and patients are typically discharged the same day of the surgery or kept overnight at the hospital for observation and released the next day to go home.
The recovery period after a laparoscopic hysterectomy is between two to three weeks compared to six to eight weeks with an abdominal hysterectomy. This enables patients to get back to work and resume their normal personal activities much faster.
Patients and physicians now have even more choices when deciding about the route to take in order to perform a hysterectomy, and your physician will discuss recommendations in your particular case if the decision is made to remove the uterus.