A University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) surgeon is the first surgeon in the United States to perform a new hysterectomy surgery technique.
Alexander Burnett, M.D., has performed a new hysterectomy surgery, called Total Vaginal Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (V-NOTES) hysterectomy. Only a small number of surgeon worldwide have performed the surgery, and he is the first in the United States.
A hysterectomy, which is the removal of the uterus, is typically performed by making an incision in a female’s abdomen, requiring a hospital stay and a lengthy recovery period of approximately six weeks. The surgery also leaves a scar.
“The biggest advantage for the patient is that there are no scars, and pain and downtime are minimal,” Burnett said in a statement. “For the health care system as a whole, there are also benefits: no patient hospital stay and no need for dangerous opioid pain medications.”
This is accomplished by performing the surgery through the vaginal canal, instead of making an incision. “With V-NOTES, the surgery is actually performed through the vaginal canal, so there are no incisions to the outside of the body that are visible after the surgery. I use a device called a laparoscopic port that covers the vagina. I am able to inflate the abdominal cavity with air, then place my surgical instruments and a lighted camera through the port. Once that’s in place, I am able to see and do everything I would normally be able to do with a laparoscopic hysterectomy,” he says.
In addition, the new surgery technique can be used to remove fallopian tubes and ovaries.
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