Robotic Laparoscopic Myomectomy

Myomectomy is a uterine-preserving procedure performed to remove uterine fibroids. Myomectomy is often performed through a large abdominal incision, but with the da Vinci® robotic surgery, the fibroids can effectively be removed through small incisions, allowing for a faster recovery.

Fibroids & Treatment Options
Uterine fibroids* are benign (non-cancerous) tumors occurring in at least one quarter of all women. They can grow underneath the uterine lining, inside the uterine wall, or outside the uterus.

Many women don’t feel any symptoms with uterine tumors or fibroids. But for others, these fibroids can cause excessive menstrual bleeding (also called menorrhagia), abnormal periods, uterine bleeding, pain, discomfort, frequent urination and infertility.

Treatments include uterine fibroid embolization – which shrinks the tumor – and surgery. Surgical treatment for uterine tumors most often involves the surgeon removing the entire uterus, via hysterectomy. While hysterectomy is a proven way to resolve fibroids, it may not be the best surgical treatment for every woman. If, for example, you hope to later become pregnant, you may want to consider alternatives to hysterectomy like myomectomy.

Each year, roughly 65,000 myomectomies are performed in the U.S. The conventional approach to myomectomy is open surgery, through a large abdominal incision. After cutting around and removing each uterine fibroid, the surgeon must carefully repair the uterine wall to minimize potential uterine bleeding, infection and scarring. Proper repair is also critical to reducing the risk of uterine rupture during future pregnancies.

While myomectomy is also performed laparoscopically, this approach can be challenging for the surgeon, and may compromise results compared to open surgery. Laparoscopic myomectomies often take longer than open abdominal myomectomies, and up to 28 percent are converted during surgery to an open abdominal incision.

Robotic myomectomy, combines the best of open and laparoscopic surgery.
With the assistance of the da Vinci® Surgical System surgeons may remove uterine fibroids through small incisions with unmatched precision and control. For most women, this procedure offers numerous potential benefits:

• Shorter hospital stay
• Less pain
• Less risk of infection
• Less blood loss
• Faster recovery

To learn if you are a candidate for robotic gynecological surgery, talk to a surgeon who performs robotic procedures.

Gynecologists credentialed in robotic surgery at St. Joseph Medical Center:

» Julius Szigeti, MD, Gynecologist

» Estelle Yamaki, MD, Gynecologist

» Cindy Mosbrucker, MD, Gynecologist

» Paula Smith, MD, Gynecologist

» Bahman, Saffari, Gyn/Oncologist