Methodist Healthcare San Antonio Women’s Health Services

Surgeons at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital are providing an alternative type of hysterectomy using laparoscopy methods leading to fewer complications and a speedier recovery for many women. Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy (TLH) allows surgeons to perform surgery with minimal tissue injury by using miniaturized video equipment and customized instruments. A small, but growing, number of surgeons are now performing an entire hysterectomy with the removal of the cervix and the ovaries through a laparoscope. TLH is becoming the preferred procedure for hysterectomies for many women.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hysterectomy is the second most frequently performed surgical procedure, after cesarean section, for women of reproductive age in the United States. Approximately 600,000 hysterectomies are performed in the United States annually, and more than 20 million U.S. women have had the procedure. Reasons for hysterectomy vary from endometriosis and fibroid tumors to cancer.

Every hysterectomy involves removal of the uterus and sometimes the ovaries as well. Total abdominal hysterectomy, the most commonly performed type of hysterectomy, requires a four- to eight-inch abdominal incision to remove the uterus and ovaries, if needed. This procedure usually entails four to six days in the hospital and four to six weeks away from work for recovery. Vaginal hysterectomy is the next most frequently used technique of hysterectomy. During this procedure, the surgeon operates entirely through the vagina. There is no abdominal scar. The hospital stay is usually two days with about two weeks away from work. Vaginal hysterectomy is usually the preferred choice for women with small uteruses, absence of cancer or vaginal laxity.

“The advantages of laparoscopic hysterectomy are the use of small incisions, better access, improved visibility allowing more detailed dissection, avoidance of vaginal shortening and faster recovery,” says Bernard R. Cavazos, Jr., M.D., one of only a few surgeons in San Antonio trained to perform TLH. Dr. Cavazos performs the surgery at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital.

The procedure reduces the complications that can be associated with more traditional surgeries and shortens a patient’s recovery time to approximately seven days, compared to four to six weeks for traditional hysterectomy. Most patients experience minimal post-operative discomfort. It is also cost-effective, reducing a patient’s hospital stay from three days to one. Abdominal scars consist of two to four incisions, each one-half of an inch long. TLH can be performed on women who have never had children, women with narrow or long vaginas, women with previous surgeries, women with cancer and women with large organs.

“Our goal as physicians is to advocate excellence in women’s health care. We constantly search for safe, less invasive and cost-effective treatment alternatives that complement the needs of today’s active woman,” Cavazos added.

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