Dr. Jamie Arruda talks about robotic and minimally invasive surgery
Transcription
My name is Dr. Jaime Arruda and I’m a general gynecologist here at the University Hospital in the department of gynecologic oncology. One of my roles here at the University Hospital is to perform minimally invasive surgery for gynecologic pre-cancers as well as non-cancer conditions. Minimally invasive surgery is a nice alternative to open surgery, meaning it involves much smaller incisions and a much quicker recovery.
Performing minimally invasive surgery
For minimally invasive surgery, we place a camera – usually through a small incision in your bellybutton – and then make several other incisions about as wide as your fingernail throughout the abdomen. We can do lots of types of surgery through these small incisions, including hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), myomectomy (removal of fibroids), endometriosis surgery, and even surgery for some gynecologic cancers such as endometrial cancers.
The benefit to minimally invasive surgery is that our patients have smaller incisions, less post-op pain and a very short post-op recovery – many patients can even go home the same day. Longer term, our patients can return to normal activities, including work, within one or two weeks of minimally invasive surgery.
Robotic surgery
One type of minimally invasive surgery that is used in select patients is called robotic surgery. Many of my patients have questions about what the difference between robotic and minimally invasive surgery is.
In robotic surgery, we use the same small incisions – usually there are four or five small incisions on your abdomen. We then use robotic surgery in order to do more complicated cases, oftentimes in areas that require fine movements or difficult-to-access areas.
In gynecologic oncology, the most common use for robotic surgery is for endometrial cancers. In benign gynecologic conditions, we often use robotic surgery for complex endometriosis, women with a lot of scarring, in surgery on obese patients, or on a very big fibroid uterus.
Who is a candidate for minimally invasive surgery?
It’s important to know that some patients are not good candidates for minimally invasive or laparoscopic surgery. We typically don’t use minimally invasive surgery to treat women with:
- Ovarian cancer
- Cardiovascular disease or bad lung disease
- Morbid obesity (on occasion)
If you are talking to your doctor about a hysterectomy and you think you might be a candidate for minimally invasive surgery, we would be happy to see you here at the University of Colorado for a consult.