What is Laparoscopy?

Endometriosis Surgery

Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease process in which tissue that is similar to the inner lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It often affects the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the tissue lining the pelvis, and has also been found in other parts of the body.

Understanding Laparoscopy for Endometriosis

What to Expect During Excision Surgery

Our team of World Class Endometriosis Excision Specialists are here to care for you every step of the way. Not only are they experts in excision surgery, but they work hand-in-hand with our pelvic pain specialists to help you prepare and recover through the PRM Protocol™. Most of our surgeries are outpatient, meaning that patients can go home on the same day.

Step One: The surgical procedure begins with approximately 3-4 tiny incisions on your abdomen below the umbilicus and a 10 mm incision inside the umbilicus. Carbon dioxide is used to inflate your abdomen, and the tiny camera and other surgical instruments will be placed through the incisions.

Step Two: The surgeon will then explore the abdomen and pelvis, looking for any endometriosis. If endometriosis is found, the lesions will be carefully excised with tiny surgical scissors and removed from the body to be sent to pathology.
The surgery may last 1-6 hours, depending on the extensiveness of the endometriosis and the amount to be excised.

Step Three: Upon completion of the procedure, the carbon dioxide and all instruments will be removed. The incisions on your abdomen will be closed with dissolvable stitches, the tube will be removed from your mouth, and you will wake up.

Step Four: In the recovery room and post-operative observation room. You will be carefully monitored for several hours. Typically, you will be discharged with instructions the same day or the next day after the surgery.

How is Endometriosis Treated?

Two Types of Endometriosis Surgery

It’s important for patients to understand that there are two different types of surgery relating to endometriosis. Our experts specialize in laparoscopic excision surgery, coupled with the PRM Protocol

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    Ablation Surgery: Ablation surgery applies heat, such as laser or electrosurgery in an effort to destroy the endometriosis lesions and embedded tissue. The disadvantage of ablation for endometriosis is that the heat either does not fully destroy the lesions, or the heat penetrates and spreads too much and causes thermal damage to the surrounding non-diseased tissue. Furthermore, there is no surgical specimen for pathological identification and confirmation. Ablation treatment for endometriosis does not require advanced surgical skill, and all research studies indicate inferior outcomes and higher complication rates. This is NOT the preferred treatment and PRM does not offer this type of surgery.

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    Excision Surgery: Excision surgery, on the other hand, involves cutting out the lesions, implants, or fibrosis (scar tissue) caused by endometriosis. Although excision surgery is more effective, the procedure is more technically difficult and time-consuming. Complete removal of all visible diseased tissue makes this the best treatment currently available. Furthermore, with this type of surgery, the specimen removed from surgery can be sent to the pathology department where confirmation can be made that it is indeed endometriosis and not a different type of disease. Our Endometriosis Excision Surgeons have completed extensive Mayo Clinic fellowships and are experts in their field of diagnosis and treatment.

After Your Procedure

Recovering From Excision Surgery

Your recovery process depends on your baseline health and fitness, plus the severity of your disease. In general, for the first couple of days after surgery, you may experience bloating and discomfort from the gas that was used to distend your abdominal cavity for the laparoscopy.

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    You will also have some cramping and post-operative soreness/tenderness. This should improve by the third day, after which you should be feeling better. It is very important that you call us after surgery if you don’t feel better each day compared to the previous day

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    Within two weeks, you should be feeling almost 90% back to normal. At this time, you will have a follow-up office visit to ensure all is well and to check your abdominal incisions, which by this time should be almost completely healed. Your surgeon will discuss with you the surgical findings and the follow-up treatment plans.

Contact Us To Learn More About Endometriosis Surgery