Understanding Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures
Few people relish the thought of surgery, but when you add the words, “minimally invasive,” the road is going to be a much easier one.
With your health and wellness as our top priority, Dr. Fernando Otero and the team here at Women’s Clinic of the Rio Grande Valley understand the advantages of minimally invasive surgery, especially when it comes to gynecological concerns.
From bringing you relief from endometriosis to removing uterine fibroids, here’s a look just a few of the health issues we can resolve with our minimally invasive surgical services, and why this approach is better for your health.
Minimally invasive surgery at a glance
As the name suggests, minimally invasive surgery is a technique in which we need to only make very small incisions to perform the work.
The two key pieces to the minimally invasive puzzle are:
- A small camera (laparoscope) that provides us with a real-time, high-definition, 3D view of the surgical site
- Specialized tools that translate the movements of our hands in small spaces
Thanks to the advent of laparoscopy, we no longer need to resort to open surgery for most routine gynecological procedures. That’s good, because open surgery often came with considerable downtime, discomfort, and risk thanks to the large incisions.
With minimally invasive surgical technology, Dr. Otero can visualize the surgical site on a monitor and guide the tools to perform the necessary work, all while keeping important surrounding tissues intact.
The benefits of minimally invasive surgery
Since we’re only making very small incisions, the benefits of minimally invasive surgery are myriad and include:
- Less collateral tissue damage
- Less pain
- Less bleeding
- Shorter hospital stay (if applicable)
- Reduced risk of infection
Most importantly, what all of these benefits lead to is a shorter recovery time, allowing you to get back to your regular routine more quickly.
Minimally invasive surgery and your gynecological health
One of the first branches of medicine to quickly realize the benefits of minimally invasive surgery was women’s health.
It’s important to note that this technique first allows us to better diagnose potential problems by providing us with a first-hand look at your reproductive organs. Advanced imaging is a fantastic diagnostic tool, but the ability to take a closer look at your internal structures through a laparoscope is game-changing and allows us to better resolve your health concerns.
Once we have a diagnosis in hand, we choose the best treatment option for you, which might include a minimally invasive surgical procedure.
With laparoscopy, we can address a wide range of gynecological and obstetrical issues, including:
- Endometrial ablation (for endometriosis)
- Uterine fibroid removal
- Hysterectomy
- Tubal ligation
- Cervical loop electrode excision procedure
- Ovarian cyst removal
- Ectopic pregnancy removal
- Pelvic organ prolapse surgery
This list isn’t comprehensive, but it illustrates the many different problems we can resolve with minimally invasive surgery.
If you’d like to learn more about our minimally invasive surgery services, please contact one of our two offices in McAllen or Edinburg, Texas, to set up a consultation.