In the last few months I’ve blogged about several different surgery types that can be performed using the da Vinci Surgical System. (If you’re new to this blog, the da Vinci Surgical System uses five very small abdominal incisions and state-of-the-art remote control technology to convert my hand movements from a console a few feet away into precise movement of da Vinci surgical instruments.) Another condition that can be treated using the da Vinci Surgical System is endometriosis.
What is endometriosis?
Endometriosis occurs when a certain kind of bodily tissue – the lining of the uterus, which is also called endometrial tissue – grows where it shouldn’t. Often it can grow near the ovaries, but it can also appear on most pelvic organs. The problem is that this tissue – wherever it appears – swells with blood during your period. Your uterus expels this blood, but blood in other areas of the pelvis has nowhere to go.
This swelling can irritate nearby tissues, which can affect your reproductive organs and your monthly menstrual cycle. It can cause cramps and pain during your periods or pelvic pain throughout the month, as well as pain during or after sex. If undetected or untreated, this irritation eventually can cause scarring, which can bind organs together and interfere with efforts to get pregnant.
About 10% of all women will suffer from endometriosis in their lifetimes – usually during their reproductive years. While any woman may develop endometriosis, the following women seem to be at an increased risk:
- women who have a mother, sister or daughter with endometriosis
- women who are giving birth for the first time after age 30
- Caucasian women
- women with an abnormal uterus (including fibroids, adhesions and abnormal uterus shape)
Although there is no known cure, endometriosis can be managed with early diagnosis and treatment.
What are the treatment options for endometriosis?
If simple pain management is not enough, if there are health risks, or if fertility is a concern, endometriosis can be treated with hormone therapy, surgery, or a combination.
Just as birth control pills do, hormone therapy regulates or suppresses the hormones that control your menstrual cycle, which limits the swelling of all your endometrial tissue. Surgery can be used to remove cut away endometrial and scar tissue and, in severe cases, to remove the reproductive organs where the stray endometrial tissue is growing. About one in five hysterectomies (surgical removal of the uterus, and sometimes the ovaries, fallopian tubes and the cervix) are performed because of endometriosis.
Here’s where da Vinci surgery comes in. As with the other da Vinci surgical procedures I’ve written about here, da Vinci surgery provides similar access to an “open” incision but there’s typically less bleeding, less pain, minimal scarring, quicker recovery, a shorter hospital stay, and a lower likelihood of complications. Whether the surgery is just to remove endometrial and scar tissue or to conduct a hysterectomy, most women can expect less pain, less scarring and a much shorter recovery period than if they had undergone open surgery. Compared to non-remote-controlled laparoscopic surgery, da Vinci endometriosis surgery provides far greater access, precision and control.
It’s important to remember that surgery – even a hysterectomy – may not permanently remove endometriosis. After surgery, about 15-20% of patients have endometriosis symptoms again within five years. However, surgery can be combined with hormone treatment to manage endometriosis.
Here’s a quote from a woman who was treated for endometriosis using da Vinci surgery.
“I spent 24 hours in the hospital. I was home by noon the next day. I walked into my house on my own, took a shower, made myself a ham and cheese sandwich and checked my e-mails. The only pain medication I took was a couple of Ibuprofen.” – Penne, California
This quote and others can be found on www.davincistories.com.
More information
If you need additional information, you can follow any of the links below, or you can contact my office directly.
Links to da Vinci surgery resources
da Vinci endometriosis surgery
da Vinci surgery patient stories
Dr. Garofalo’s da Vinci information page
Dr. Garofalo’s da Vinci endometriosis information page
Dr. John Garofalo, M.D., is a certified da Vinci surgeon in Fairfield County, Connecticut. For more information on Dr. Garofalo and his medical practice, go to www.garofaloobyn.com. Dr. Garofalo can be reached for a personal consultation at 203.803.1098.
