Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgery

What the Methods Are

• Laparoscopy. A camera and slim instruments are passed through small incisions and the surgeon operates while viewing a magnified image.
• Robotic surgery. The same principle, with the instruments controlled from a console. The system does not operate by itself; every movement is made by the surgeon.
• Hysteroscopy. Performed through the cervix with no abdominal incision at all, used for conditions inside the uterine cavity such as polyps, some fibroids and abnormal bleeding.
• Open surgery. Still the correct answer in some situations, particularly where disease is extensive or where safety requires direct access.

Reported Advantages

Compared with open surgery, minimally invasive approaches are generally associated with smaller incisions, less blood loss, shorter hospital stay and quicker return to normal activity. These are general tendencies rather than promises, and they vary with the operation and the patient.

When Open Surgery Is the Better Choice

A minimally invasive approach is not automatically superior. Extensive disease, dense adhesions from previous operations, a very large mass, or a situation where complete removal cannot be assured through small incisions can all make open surgery the safer and more effective option. In cancer surgery, completeness of removal outweighs the size of the incision.

Occasionally an operation that begins laparoscopically is converted to open surgery. This is a judgement made for safety during the procedure and is discussed beforehand as a possibility.

What Recovery Generally Involves

Recovery depends far more on the operation performed than on the instrument used. After a minimally invasive procedure most patients are encouraged to move early, and hospital stay is usually shorter than after open surgery. Discomfort at the incision sites, tiredness for a period afterwards and restrictions on lifting are normal parts of the process.

Specific timings are given after surgery, once the operation and the findings are known. Figures quoted in advance are averages and not a prediction for any individual patient.

Questions Worth Asking

Before an operation it is reasonable to ask which approach is planned and why, what would cause it to change during surgery, and what the expected recovery looks like for that specific procedure. A clear answer to those three questions is more useful than the name of the technology.

Where These Methods Are Used

They are applied in endometrial cancer, in cervical cancer, in selected cases of ovarian cancer, and in myoma (fibroid) surgery, as well as in the management of deep endometriosis and complex ovarian cysts.

For an assessment, see the contact page. This page is general information and does not replace an examination. Decisions about your own treatment can only be made after assessment.