"Transvaginal surgery is one of the safest alternatives to traditional laparoscopic surgery because it uses an easily accessible natural orifice that has proven safe for over a century," said Magdy Millad, MD, director of gynecologic endoscopy and professor of obstetrics and gynecology for Northwestern Medicine.
Factors contributing to the growing interest in incisonless surgery include the fact that the stomach and GI tract have very few nerves that register pain. In the future, this may allow surgeons to carry out NOTES procedures with the patient under sedation, rather than general anesthesia.
"Surgical standards of practice continue to evolve towards less invasive surgical approaches. It's an evolution from one way of doing things and we think it holds great promise" added Hungness.
To date, published human NOTES cases include removal of the appendix and kidney along with hernia repair and much more. The optimal orifice for NOTES has not been determined, yet physicians say transvaginal access is the least complicated to perform. The only approach currently available to male patients is the removal through the mouth. However, transrectal (anus) access has recently been proposed as a potential alternative access route for the procedure in men.
"I feel very lucky to have had this choice and would recommend that people educate themselves about the options available to them," added Manrique.
If you are interested in speaking to one of our surgeons about NOTES, and you'd like to make a first time appointment, please call 312-926-8400 or request an appointment online.
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| Contact: Angela Salerno asalerno@nmh.org 312-926-8327 Northwestern Memorial Hospital Source:Eurekalert |