Commentary
Why we should strive for a vaginal hysterectomy rate of 40%
Surgeons who perform vaginal hysterectomy are not magicians or better surgeons, just differently trained. We have to recognize that many, or even...
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. – Innovative tools for vaginal hysterectomy were in the spotlight during a surgical demonstration at the AAGL Global Congress.
“I think it’s really compelling that we use the technologies that the AAGL is known for investigating and teaching each other,” said Charles Rardin, MD, director of the robotic surgery program at Women & Infants Hospital, Providence, R.I. “It’s nice to see a renewed interest in some newer technologies and applying them to vaginal hysterectomy.”
The presentation of new tools comes as the number of vaginal hysterectomies have decreased and laparoscopic procedures are on the rise. The rate of vaginal hysterectomy in the United States has fallen from 24.8% in 1998 to 16.7% in 2010, according to the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Surgeons demonstrated new tools with the intent of showing physicians that the benefits some associate with laparoscopic procedures, such as having easier access or a better sense of the uterus, can be associated with vaginal hysterectomy as well.
Advanced tools, such as a self-retaining retractor and 3-D camera systems, could make it easier to teach students by allowing more mobility and easier visual access, Dr. Rardin said in a video interview.
The tutorial ended with a demonstration of the natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery tool that allows laparoscopic tools to be introduced through the vaginal pathway.
All the tools exhibited at AAGL are currently available.
Dr. Rardin reported having no relevant financial disclosures.
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