Less pain, faster recovery with laparoscopic hysterectomy

How do you get something the size of a one-pound grapefruit through a hole no bigger than the width of your thumb?
Gynecologists faced this conundrum when they wanted women who needed a hysterectomy to benefit from minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques.
The answer was changing the shape of the uterus. With the development of an instrument called a morcellator, they had the tool necessary to remove a large uterus through a small incision.
Santa Cruz Medical Clinic gynecologists were at the forefront of perfecting this technique to give women what has become a popular alternative to abdominal and vaginal hysterectomies.
“Originally, hysterectomies were done through an abdominal incision in an ‘open’ surgery that was painful and took about six weeks to recover from,” said Howard Salvay, M.D., the obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN) who introduced laparoscopic hysterectomy techniques locally.
“Vaginal hysterectomy was the other choice, but that method affected the cervix and could impact the way the vagina felt and functioned,” he explained.
“Now we go through the naval and use the morcellator to cut the uterus into small pieces that we remove through little ‘straws’ called torcars. As in other laparoscopic surgeries, the hospital stay is short, pain is minimal and women return to their normal activities within days instead of weeks,” Dr. Salvay said. “I had one patient who went for a long bike ride eight days after her procedure.”
SCMC OB/GYNs Janna Doherty, M.D., Dawn Lawson, M.D., Marsha Muir, M.D., and Susan Schaefer, M.D., have also received the training and credentials to perform laparoscopic hysterectomies.
They began doing so at Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center about three years ago, and now perform about four such procedures each week. Their patients include women who come from other counties to take advantage of this cutting edge technique.
A hysterectomy may be needed when a woman experiences painful conditions of the uterus, including bleeding and fibroids.

Santa Cruz Medical Clinic OB/GYNs are all board certified. They care for women throughout and beyond their reproductive life spans, providing prenatal care, delivering babies, performing corrective surgical repairs and treating menopause.

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