HYSTERECTOMY: Know Your Options
A hysterectomy, which is the removal of the uterus and the cervix, is a serious surgery. GYN Surgeon Dr. Steven McCarus says the most common reason for performing a hysterectomy is to treat serious, heavy bleeding and uterine leiomyomas, also known as fibroids.
Types of Hysterectomy Procedures If an OBGYN suggests a hysterectomy as a viable treatment option for you, it’s important to know there are several different types of this procedure. Depending on the reason for the surgery, a total, partial or radical hysterectomy may be performed. There are also different approaches to consider. In a total hysterectomy, both the uterus and cervix are removed. A partial hysterectomy leaves the cervix in place and removes only the upper part of the uterus. What’s known as a radical hysterectomy involves removing the entire uterus, cervix and other surrounding areas.
L E T ’ S TA L K M E D I C I N E
In addition to the type of hysterectomy, there are also varied methods for the actual performing of the surgery. Dr. McCarus shares that “Nowadays, most of our hysterectomy surgeries are performed in a minimally-invasive way, where, in most cases, patients are feeling about 80% to 90% better just two weeks after surgery.” Minimally-invasive options, such as a laparoscopic approach, involve special instruments with much smaller incisions in the belly button, while a robotic approach would be similar but performed by a robotic platform that’s controlled by your surgeon. Both robotic and laparoscopic surgeries are considered minimally-invasive and call for a shorter recovery time than the traditional method, which is performed vaginally, via open abdominal surgery. Only three to five percent of Dr. McCarus’ surgeries are done via open abdominal incisions.
DR. STEVEN MCCARUS
Generally, Dr. McCarus says, the traditional method of surgery is only done in the event the patient has a large uterus or sometimes cancer. “A significantly larger uterus would not be safe to manage through the minimally invasive options,” he says. The recovery process with a traditional hysterectomy requires a longer hospital stay, longer recovery before returning to work and overall they experience more pain because of the type of incision.
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