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Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery

What is Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery?

Compared to traditional “open” surgery through a large incision, minimally invasive surgeries use small incisions, providing the following benefits:

  • Reduced risk of complications
  • Minimal scarring
  • Less postoperative pain
  • Less blood loss
  • Reduced need for narcotic pain medications
  • Quicker recovery and return to normal, daily activities

University Hospitals offers advanced expertise in minimally invasive gynecologic surgeries and treatments for complex conditions such as fibroids, endometriosis, pelvic masses and abnormal uterine bleeding.

Gynecological Surgery Options

Our board-certified, fellowship-trained gynecologic surgeons have extensive training and experience in minimally invasive surgical techniques, such as:

  • Hysterectomy: Removal of the uterus and the cervix, with or without removal of one or both fallopian tubes and ovaries.
  • Complex laparoscopic procedures: A minimally invasive approach, laparoscopic techniques allow our team to perform complex surgeries using small incisions, usually no more than 1/2-inch long.
  • Endometriosis excision surgery: This surgery removes endometriosis implants and scar tissue, providing pain relief and keeping the uterus and ovaries healthy.
  • Laparoscopic and robotic myomectomy: A procedure to remove fibroids while leaving the uterus intact.
  • Hysteroscopy: A thin, lighted, flexible tube is inserted in the cervix through the vagina to examine and remove uterine scarring, polyps or fibroids.
  • Robotic-assisted surgery: With the daVinci® robotic system, our specialists perform advanced surgical procedures with robot-guided precision.
  • Vaginal surgery: Removal of the uterus and cervix without any abdominal incisions.

Da Vinci Robotic Surgery

UH offers the da Vinci robotic surgery system to perform minimally invasive gynecologic procedures. Surgical procedures performed with da Vinci include hysterectomy and myomectomy, and can be used to treat conditions such as uterine cancer, abnormal uterine bleeding, uterine fibroids, pelvic masses and endometriosis.

Robotic surgery provides surgeons with an advanced set of surgical tools for more precision and better range of motion. Da Vinci also provides the surgeons with a 3-D image of the surgical area to improve visualization. Robotic surgery has many advantages over traditional open surgery. These include smaller and fewer incisions, less blood loss, lower risk of complications and less pain. Patients who undergo robotic surgery also may experience shorter hospital stays, faster recovery and better outcomes.

Treating a Range of Gynecological Conditions

At UH, specialists use the latest minimally invasive techniques to treat a variety of gynecological issues, such as:

  • Adenomyosis: When endometrial tissue, or the inner uterine lining, invades the uterine muscle.
  • Adnexal masses: When parts of the reproductive tract, such as ovaries and fallopian tubes, become large and cause pain.
  • Chronic pelvic pain: Minimally invasive surgery is often a safe, effective treatment option for conditions causing chronic pelvic pain, such as chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, fibroids or endometriosis.
  • Endometriosis: In advanced stages, endometriosis affects a woman's ovaries and other organs in the pelvis. Tissue similar to endometrial tissue grows outside of the uterus and can cause severe pain, pain during sex, infertility and other issues. UH minimally invasive gynecologic surgeons are trained in advanced minimally invasive techniques to remove endometrial implants in patients with advanced stage endometriosis.
  • Heavy periods: Menstrual periods that are abnormally heavy or prolonged affecting a patient's quality of life.
  • Large fibroid uterus: These noncancerous growths on the uterus are common in reproductive-aged women. Fibroids can differ in size and cause varying degrees of pain and bleeding. Our team has advanced expertise in minimally invasive surgical approaches for hysterectomy and myomectomy. Our team can perform a hysterectomy for a very large fibroid uterus.
  • Pelvic masses: These can form in the ovaries, uterus or other areas of the pelvis. Though they are non-malignant, pelvic masses can disrupt patients' lives. UH minimally invasive gynecologic surgeons use a laparoscopic approach to remove these masses, offering patients significant relief.
  • Reproductive anomalies: Defects involving the sex and reproductive organs.

Learn More about Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery

To learn more about minimally invasive gynecologic surgery treatment options at University Hospitals, schedule an appointment with one of our team members.