Hysterectomy Specialist in Columbia, SC

Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy Expert in Richland County

In the past, open surgical hysterectomies resulted in hospital stays of several days, pain, a lengthy recovery time and a large abdominal scar. Now, minimally invasive surgical techniques result in hysterectomies that eliminate many of the disadvantages of traditional open surgical procedures. Low-volume surgeons are more likely to perform abdominal hysterectomy rather than a minimally invasive hysterectomy. Minimally invasive hysterectomies have proved several advantages over abdominal hysterectomy including a shorter hospital stay, lower hospital bills, and a quicker recovery.

When considering a hysterectomy there are many factors to evaluate. Two important factors are location and your surgeon. It has been proven that morbidity and mortality are better when a hysterectomy is performed by high-volume surgeons at high-volume hospitals.

When it comes to gynecologic surgery, experience matters which is why the most important of these two factors remains the surgeon performing the procedure.

An unfortunate truth is due to systematic barriers such as geography and financial incentives, underinsured, non-white patients are less likely to be seen by high-volume surgeons at high-volume hospitals. higher-quality health care professionals with greater experience tend to attract patients with commercial insurance coverage, disproportionately White.

When is a Hysterectomy Performed?

A hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus by Dr. Odom, and it can be performed for different reasons, including:

• Uterine or cervical cancer
• Cervical Abnormalities
• Chronic pelvic pain
• Very heavy menstrual bleeding
• Large, symptomatic and recurrent uterine fibroids
• Uterine prolapse, which occurs when the uterus “drops” into the vaginal vault
• Endometriosis or adenomyosis, painful conditions that occurs when the uterine lining tissue (the endometrium) grows outside the uterus or into the deeper layers of the uterine wall

In many cases a patient can be discharged the same day following a minimally invasive hysterectomy

Minimally invasive hysterectomies using laparoscopic techniques are unlike open surgeries because they are performed through one or more small incisions. These procedures may also allow more women, who may not be candidates for open surgery, have a hysterectomy.

Laparoscopic surgical procedures used in minimally invasive hysterectomies use fiber optics (laparoscope) and a miniature television camera along with specialized instruments are inserted into very small incisions in the navel and abdomen or through the vagina may be exploratory while others are used to remove appropriate reproductive organs may utilize robotic devices like the da Vinci Surgical System that permits surgeons to perform with extremely high precision, vision and a level of control unavailable with standard laparoscopic procedures.

Approaches and treatments depend upon factors such as obesity, prior abdominal surgery, scar tissue and other medical considerations.

Types of minimally invasive laparoscopic hysterectomy procedures performed by Dr. Odom

Laparoscopically Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy (LAVH)

Dr. Albert Odom is highly trained in using special laparoscopic instruments to remove the uterus and, if necessary, the fallopian tubes and ovaries. By operating through the vagina, the cervix is separated from the top of the vagina permitting the uterus and the cervix to be removed through the vaginal opening.

Laparoscopic Supracervical Hysterectomy (LSH)

The LSH procedure is done to remove the upper two thirds of the uterus using laparoscopic instruments inserted through small incisions in the abdomen. By leaving the cervix intact and attached to the upper vagina, this procedure helps to provide better post-operative vaginal support and eliminates the need for the vagina to heal. Using specials instruments, the uterus is then removed by Dr. Odom through the small incisions in the abdomen.

Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy (TLH)

Using similar incisions to a Laparoscopic Supracervical Hysterectomy, a TLH involves removing both the cervix and the uterus. Unlike a Laparoscopic Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy, a very limited portion of the TLH procedure is done by Dr. Odom through the vagina.

Vaginal hysterectomy

A vaginal hysterectomy is a surgical procedure that is performed at Palmetto Health Baptist and Palmetto Health Baptist Hospital involving the removal of the uterus surgically through the vagina. It is performed if the uterus is not greatly enlarged and can be performed if the medical conditions are not related to cancer. It has fewer complications, requires a shorter hospital stay, and allows a faster recovery when compared to the removal of the uterus through an abdominal incision (abdominal hysterectomy). A vaginal hysterectomy can also be used by Dr. Odom to remove one or both ovaries as well as fallopian tubes. This procedure is called a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO).

Some surgeons perform a laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) to assist with the vaginal hysterectomy procedure. This is done because the use of a laparoscope helps the surgeon to more easily see the uterus, ovaries, and tissues that surround these organs.

vNOTES

vNOTES (vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery) is an advanced minimally invasive gynecologic procedure using the vagina as a surgical access route. This procedure is performed by using the vagina as a surgical access route for the procedure, leaving the patient with no visible scarring.