Considering hysterectomy?

 Recover faster with robotics

When retired school teacher Martha Meagher was told she needed a hysterectomy,
Dr. Carol Fischer, her gynecologist, recommended a minimally invasive robotic surgery
available at McLaren Macomb.
“I felt wonderful two days after I had the surgery,” said Meagher. “I am very happy
I qualified for this type of surgery. I was back to my normal activities in a couple of
weeks.” She said she would highly recommend the procedure.

At McLaren Macomb, gynecologists are now using state-of-the-art robotic
technology to perform hysterectomies using the da Vinci® Si HD Surgical System.
For women who are facing the decision to have a hysterectomy, this new technology
may be a good treatment option for a benign gynecologic condition. McLaren Macomb
is the only hospital in Southeast Michigan to offer da Vinci robotic surgery with
Firefly Fluorescence Imaging.

Benign gynecologic conditions such as fibroids, endometriosis or pelvic prolapse
(falling of the uterus, vagina and/or bladder) may lead to mild to severe symptoms
including chronic pain and heavy periods. Women with severe symptoms are
frequently treated with hysterectomy, which is the surgical removal of the uterus.
Hysterectomy is the second-most common surgical procedure for women in the
United States, with an estimated one third of all women in the United States having
a hysterectomy by age 60.

Hysterectomy can be performed by removing the uterus through the vagina.
However, if the uterus is massively enlarged or the patient has internal scarring
from a prior surgery or some other gynecologic condition, abdominal hysterectomy
is usually performed.

Abdominal hysterectomy is usually performed with open surgery, which requires
a large incision. This procedure can be painful and require several days in the hospital.
Drawbacks of open hysterectomy are: the large incision, pain, stronger pain medication,
greater risk of complications and an average recovery time of 6 weeks or more.
When a hysterectomy is recommended, women may be candidates for a minimally
invasive da Vinci Hysterectomy. The procedure requires only a few tiny incisions to
get patients back to their normal activities faster.

"Using the da Vinci, patients recover more quickly,” said Dr. Fischer, a McLaren
Macomb board-certified specialist in obstetrics and gynecology. “There is less pain,
less blood loss and recovery time is two to four weeks," She added that recovery time
for open hysterectomies is usually 6 weeks or more.

Using daVinci, surgeons can perform delicate and complex operations with better
vision, precision, dexterity and control. Other potential benefits over traditional surgery,
include:

•  Less pain
•  Fewer complications
•  Less blood loss
•  Shorter hospital stay
•  Lower risk of wound infection
•  Faster recovery and return to normal activities

For more information, please visit www.mclaren.org/macombsurgery.