Hysterectomies are the second most common surgery among women in the United States. Locally, they are performed quite frequently as a result of fibroids, which cause bleeding or varying levels of pain and discomfort.
The traditional method of performing the abdominal hysterectomy usually requires a four-to-six-week recovery time and leaves a sizeable scar of up to 4 inches long near the bikini line.
Patient dissatisfaction and advancing technologies facilitated the shift toward laparoscopic hysterectomies some 40 years ago. This form of surgery is performed using three to five incisions and flexible fiber optic surgical tools. In more recent years, medical professionals have begun using robotic surgical instruments in the same three to five incisions. The tools translate the surgeon’s hand movements into precise actions with the help of a surgical assistant repositioning the equipment as necessary.
Dr. Ahmad Azari, a gynecological surgeon with Baptist Medical Group, began using a more innovative method almost three years ago. In his practice ‒ the only one in the area that routinely performs this type of surgery ‒ Dr. Azari uses a technique called minimally invasive single-port laparoscopic hysterectomy. Using a tiny camera, called a laparoscope, he removes the uterus through a single incision, which leaves virtually no scar.
“I went to a soccer game the very next day,” said Erica Beaver, who recently underwent the “scar-less” hysterectomy procedure. She and her physician decided that a hysterectomy was the best option to treat her chronic bleeding. Beaver, a working wife and mother, couldn’t imagine missing four to six weeks of work and having to pay for a hospital stay. When she was referred to Dr. Azari for the scar-less hysterectomy, she was pleased to hear it would not only drastically reduce her down time but would leave virtually no signs of surgery.
“A few months later I had to get laparoscopic gallbladder surgery, and my physician had to pull my medical records. She couldn’t believe I had undergone a hysterectomy with no physical evidence,” said Beaver.
Dr. Azari and his recognized center for excellence continue to perform these procedures on patients like Beaver who need quick recovery time, virtually no scarring and cost-effective solutions to life-altering problems. Dr. Azari hopes to increase awareness about the effectiveness of the procedure and to increase the number of patients who choose the scar-less hysterectomy. Minimally invasive procedures continue to gain a lot of interest in the medical community and in the population at large.