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What happens during the procedure?
You will be given a regional or general anesthetic. It will prevent you from feeling pain during the procedure.
You will have an IV in your arm to give you fluids and medicines.
Usually a catheter (small tube) is placed into your bladder through the urethra (the tube from the bladder to the outside). The catheter drains the bladder.
Your peritoneal cavity, which holds most of your abdominal and pelvic organs, is inflated with carbon dioxide gas. This expands your peritoneal cavity like a balloon and helps the doctor see your organs.
The doctor makes a very small cut (puncture) in your abdomen and inserts the laparoscope. The doctor looks through the laparoscope and finds your uterus.
Through two other punctures in your abdomen, the doctor inserts an electrocautery tool to cut the tissues and blood vessels that surround and support your uterus.
The doctor then seals the blood vessels so they will heal and not bleed, removes the scope and other tools, and closes the cuts.
Next, the doctor makes a cut through your vagina and separates your uterus from your vagina by cutting it off at the top of your vagina.
The doctor then removes your uterus through your vagina.
If ligaments around the vagina have stretched from aging or childbearing, the doctor may repair the walls of your vagina by sewing the ligaments together.
The vagina is then attached to the repaired ligaments and the top of the vagina is sewn closed.
What are the benefits of this procedure?
With this procedure, there will be only small punctures in your abdomen from the laparoscope.
This means you will have less pain and discomfort after this operation than if your uterus were removed through a cut in your abdomen.
Recovery is usually faster than from an abdominal procedure.
You may be able to leave the hospital sooner.
What are the risks associated with this procedure?
- There are some risks when you have anesthesia.
- If your blood vessels leak or are injured, your health care provider may open your stitches to stop the bleeding.
- Your bladder or rectum might be injured and need repair.
- The tubes leading from your kidneys to your bladder (ureters) could be injured and need surgical repair.
- If your doctor has trouble removing your uterus through the vagina, it may be removed through an abdominal cut instead.
- You may develop an infection or bleeding.
- You may have nausea and vomiting.
- You may develop a hernia in the top of the vagina.
- Sometimes the carbon dioxide gas that is used to inflate your peritoneal cavity will cause pain in your right shoulder. It usually goes away after a day or two of bed rest.
- You may develop a blood clot in your legs, pelvis, or lungs.
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