Minimally Invasive Surgery

Minimally invasive surgery offers the opportunity to address numerous gynecologic issues without the risks and recovery time of traditional open surgery. This approach is an area of specialty for Christina Nguyen, MD, Marvin Najjar, MD, and the team at WHASN West Valley in Las Vegas, Nevada. When you’re ready to learn more, call the office to book a visit or schedule online. 

What is minimally invasive surgery?

Minimally invasive surgery is an approach that uses advanced technology to facilitate surgical procedures without the need for large incisions. It’s a wonderful option for many different gynecologic needs and far more beneficial than the approach used just a few short years ago. 

One approach, called hysteroscopic surgery, needs no abdominal incisions to access the surgical site. Your specialist guides a hysteroscope, a tube equipped with a light and camera, through your vagina and into your uterus. 

Slim surgical tools perform the necessary tissue alterations before being withdrawn through the vagina. This approach is the least invasive option. 

Laparoscopic surgery is another minimally invasive option. This approach relies on several small incisions in your abdomen. A tube with a camera and light projects real-time imaging onto an external screen while your specialist inserts surgical tools through other small incisions to perform the procedure. Laparoscopy allows precise surgical alterations without the need for open incisions. 

What are the benefits of minimally invasive surgery?

In decades past, gynecologic surgery required a large abdominal incision to gain access to a woman’s reproductive organs. Once the required surgical alterations were complete, that incision had to be closed with internal and external suturing. 

This meant your body had to not only heal from the surgical alterations performed on your reproductive organs but also from the large, open incision. That made gynecologic surgery a serious matter with a lengthy recovery time. 

Some of the advantages of minimally invasive surgery include:

• Less blood loss
• Faster recovery
• Reduced risk of infections
• Smaller incision lines
• Less time under anesthesia
• Earlier return to work or other routines
• Less pain after surgery

These benefits are why gynecologic specialists prefer minimally invasive surgery when it aligns with the patient’s needs. 

What kinds of procedures can be done through minimally invasive surgery?

Minimally invasive surgery is a good fit for a variety of surgical procedures. Some of the uses for this type of surgical approach include:

• Treating endometriosis
• Hysterectomy, either full or partial
• Treating ectopic pregnancy
• Removing uterine fibroids
• Endometrial ablation
• Cervical loop electrode excision procedure (LEEP)
• Treating vulvar disorders
• Treating urinary incontinence

These are just a few of the ways minimally invasive surgery benefits patients at WHASN West Valley. If you have additional questions, call the office to book a visit or schedule online in a matter of moments.