Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery

The University of Kansas Health System takes pride in offering up-to-date and advanced treatment options for gynecological conditions. For a quicker recovery time and return to daily activities, we offer a wide range of minimally invasive procedures. These include hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), oophorectomy (removal of ovary), ovarian cystectomy (removal of cyst or part of an ovary), myomectomy (removal of fibroids), prolapse repair, urinary incontinence treatment and endometrial ablation.

Minimally invasive surgery uses special tools that allow your surgeon to complete procedures through small holes, or port sites. Cameras and small instruments are inserted through these incisions and manipulated by the surgeon to perform the surgery.

Minimally invasive surgery in gynecology includes laparoscopy (surgery through small holes) and hysteroscopy (surgery through the uterus). Our surgeons also use the da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System to complement and expand their expertise.

There are many different women's health issues that can be treated with minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. Our specialists offer a wide range of minimally invasive procedures to treat the following:

Minimally invasive surgery includes a number of different procedures that can be used to address various gynecologic problems. Depending on your diagnosis, your doctor may recommend 1 of the following:

• Endometrial ablation
• Hysterectomy (removal of the uterus)
• Myomectomy (removal of fibroids)
• Oophorectomy (removal of ovary)
• Ovarian cystectomy (removal of cyst or part of an ovary)
• Sterilization
• Treatment of endometriosis
• Treatment of pelvic organ prolapse
• Treatment of urinary incontinence

In the past, most gynecological procedures were performed using a large abdominal incision, or laparotomy. This type of surgery required a hospital stay and up to 6 weeks' recovery time. Minimally invasive surgery has many benefits, including smaller incisions and shorter recovery time.

Additional benefits of minimally invasive surgery include:

• Less blood loss
• Less postoperative pain and need for pain medicine
• Less tissue manipulation and less scarring
• Lower risk for wound infection
• Shorter hospital stays and faster recovery time
• Smaller incisions

The specifics of your procedure will depend on how your minimally invasive gynecologic surgery is performed. Typically, there are 3 different approaches to minimally invasive gynecologic surgery.

Our specialists include fellowship-trained experts who have dedicated practices focused on innovative options for patient care. Our team recognizes that surgery is a big step and that is why we provide individualized management plans (including nonsurgical when appropriate) focused on patient education and shared decision-making. We routinely serve as a referral source for medical care providers for difficult cases including severe endometriosis and fibroid management.

We practice evidence-based medicine and are up-to-date on all the latest technology and medical studies. An emerging trend in surgery is the evidence that high-volume surgeons and hospitals have better surgical outcomes. Each of our physicians participates in at least 100-200 major surgeries each year.

We also have the only fellowship-trained gynecologic and urologic surgeons in the state of Kansas who use the da Vinci® Surgical System. The da Vinci® extends our surgeons' capabilities to perform minimally invasive surgical procedures with greater precision. Minimally invasive techniques mean shorter stays in the hospital and faster recovery times.