Are you a candidate for Robotic Surgery?

If you are a patient who needs gynecologic surgery, this is the question you should be asking your surgeon. Most of the surgeries I perform are centered around fine dissection and suturing, and the robotic platform is a great tool to achieve this.

 You have fibroids, or a large ovarian cyst, or heavy bleeding and you want a hysterectomy….how should the surgery be accomplished? Are your fibroids too many or your uterus too large? Do you need an open incision (like a C-section) or can  it be done through a few small holes with the robot?

 The answer is not always straightforward. There are many considerations to take into account when thinking about the approach to your myomectomy (removal of fibroids) or your hysterectomy. Here are some of them:

·      Number of fibroids

·      The size of the fibroids

·      The location of the fibroids around the uterus

·      The size of the overall uterus

·      Any scar tissue from previous surgery

·      Number of previous surgeries

·      Any medical problems that you have that may put you at increased risk of anesthesia

·      The shape of your pelvis

Start with these questions in mind when you speak with your surgeon. Sometimes you start robotically and depending on what your surgeon finds; the case may need to be converted to an open approach. I did a very complex hysterectomy this week for a patient with several large fibroids that were studded around uterus. Visibility was difficult. I prepared her for both approaches, but my goal was to complete it robotically, and I did. The uterus ended up weighing about 8 times the size of a normal uterus! The patient lost very little blood and went home within a few hours! When it comes to surgery, a minimally invasive approach is always best when feasible.