Suzanne Greenidge, MD, FACOG, Senior Clinical Attending at St. John’s Riverside Hospital, says surgeons at the Yonkers hospital embrace the trend away from traditional open procedures to less invasive surgeries associated with minimal complications and faster recoveries.

Traditionally during open hysterectomies, surgeons make an abdominal incision approximately 3.5 to 4 inches long, manipulate tissue and organs, and then remove the uterus. Because of the internal manipulation, patients require a lengthy period to return to normal function.

“After the bowels are manipulated in open hysterectomies, patients are usually not able to eat solid foods for one to two days,” Dr. Greenidge notes. “It takes longer for the bowels to respond because surgeons move them around more, causing a delayed response and slowing recovery.”

Laparoscopic hysterectomy, on the other hand, doesn’t require as much maneuvering of the bowel, so patients often begin eating within 24 hours of the procedure. Improved visualization and the use of small instruments specially designed to operate through small incisions minimize tissue disruption. Other postoperative benefits, such as reduced bleeding and fewer associated complications, stem from surgeons only making three or four tiny incisions.

“Less blood loss is a key benefit for this modality,” Dr. Greenidge says. “It also improves patient confidence because they leave surgery with a similar blood count as they enter with.”

After an open hysterectomy procedure, patients’ mobility is often compromised by pain. Additionally, following a typically two- to four-day postoperative hospitalization, women who have undergone the procedure often require a six- to eight-week recovery time.

Laparoscopy returns patients home in 24 hours and reduces the recovery period to a matter of weeks or days, compared to months following open procedures.

“Improved recovery time is a major reason many patients want these procedures,” says Dr. Greenidge. “One of the best advantages is being able to return to work as quickly as possible. Because we’re able to perform the surgery through tiny incisions, patients aren’t in as much pain following the procedure and can return to work sooner than they could following an open operation.”

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*Courtesy of MDNews..com