Is Da Vinci surgery the way to go?

[kellygill]

I am a 49 year old female and I've had a partial hysterectomy in May of 07...removal of the uterus only.  To this day I continue to have pelvic pain and after numerous ultrasounds the diagnosis is bilateral hydrosalpinges.  My GYN suggested having surgery by making a 3-6 inch incision in my abdomen and removing the tubes and or ovaries.  He suggested doing the surgery that way due to alot of scar tissue build up after the hysterectomy...after alot of doctor visits with other specialists to rule out any other cause for my pelvic pain I was back at the GYN again and NOW he is referring me to another doctor who performs a surgery called Da Vinci surgery, which is less invasive.  My question is number one, is it safe...what are the side effects if any and do you feel that is a safe way to deal with my medical problem?  Originally before I had my hysterectomy I had asked my GYN about robotic surgery for my hysterectomy and he stated that he would never suggest it being done that way, he didn't believe in it and now over a year later he is suggesting it ?  Can you give me some statistics on this type of surgery?  I have asked you questions before and I am confident that you will give me good advice.

[Laney8463]

Hi There Kellygill,

I had the Da Vinci robotic surgery in Oct 08. It really was a great experience if any surgery can be one. I had all kinds of stuff going on inside, bilateral ovarian masses, fibroids, severe endo and adenomyosis etc. I did extremely well with the surgery. I had a tah/bso/appy and had 6 small puncture marks. The recovery was smooth, with the exception of surgical menopause. Hormone replacement has that all straightened out however. I am feeling really good, with the exception of some endo return, but we're working on straightening that out NON-SURGICALLY....lol
My surgeon, was awesome too. I hope you have as wonderful an experience as I did.
Take Care
Laney

[Sarahen]

I had DaVinci robotic surgery for my radical hysterectomy, removal of omentum and all abdominal lymph nodes (due to ovarian cancer.)  Surgery is never fun, but everything went smoothly.  Only six small (1 inch) incisions.

Don't be afraid of a new tool.  The idea is to do the job in the least invasive way possible.  If your doctor is afraid of new technology, get a second opinion.

Best of luck.

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Hi There,

the way I think about surgery is:
what is the goal? What do we want to do?

and then , what tool can I use to get the job done.?

think of the robot as a tool. It is a tool to do technically difficult laparoscopic surgery. In many cases , there is no need to add this very expensive tool to standard laparoscopic surgery. For instance, the removal of an ovarian cyst, or ovaries and tubes, even the laparoscopic approach to a hysterectomy.

The DaVinci Robot adds a helpful tool for complex surgery such as radical cancer surgery (radical hysterectomy) or surgery on people who may be challenging because of their size (very over weight).

Ultimately, the surgeon who sees you, examines you, and directly evaluates your xrays is in the best position to recommend which tool is appropriate to get the surgery done
best wishes