Advanced Laparoscopic Fibroid Remove for Complex Conditions

“I was accepted from the start. Everything went smoothly from there. He did what he said he was going to do, and that was so important to me. For Dr. Paul, this was manageable. Anywhere else I would have had an open, vertical incision.”

“My case is really special, because it was so big. It was 28 cm, it was already pushing into the rib cage. Dr. MacKoul performed a supracervical hysterectomy. What he performed for me was the best option. The surgery was even better than I expected. It’s not just that I feel so good, but comparing it to the surgery I had in 1997 for a myomectomy, I know the difference. This time I was almost immediately on my feet. It wasn’t just physical, it was mental. I feel so much better.”

“A little bit unusual for his patients, but I had such a long way to travel home, Dr. MacKoul wanted me to spend one night in the hospital to make sure everything was fine. For the remainder of the week, I recovered with my friend. The next day I didn’t need any pain killer. I went to buy some groceries. I spent a few days with my friend so that I could have the post-op on Saturday, and I went back to Jakarta on Sunday.”

Life After Surgery at CIGC

“It was such a happy ending for me. I can’t say anything but positive things about the experience. I’m so happy to talk about it. I should be able to share with others and the fact that I’m willing to do it from so far away. It should be easier for others to understand why traveling to CIGC is worth it. Sometimes in life you just have to listen to yourself. I didn’t tell people before I left because I didn’t want them to try to tell me that it was too risky.”

“I wasn’t prepared for the bonus, I think I dropped about 8 lbs from the surgery. I had never been proportional. I was small but my abdomen was larger. Now, I am looking for clothes that accentuate my waist. I dropped a few sizes. It’s such a nice bonus for me. I have my best body ever at 50. I get to reap the benefits of all of the exercise and healthy eating now. You can be better and healthier if you take care of it.”

Taking a Leap of Faith and Challenging the Recommendations of Physicians at Home

“I did a lot of research. My biggest hurdle was that I felt I was offending the doctors here, but I wanted the surgery as laparoscopic. I had to put the decision on myself. This is my life and I have to be the one to endure this.”

“At home, facing six weeks of recovery from a surgery was not an option for me. One week of travel, surgery and recovery was something I could do. My total time out of the office included 2+ days of traveling. I was back to the office after about a week.”

“The mental battle for many women can make it hard to make the decision to go against their own doctors. The Center (CIGC) is very understanding. Getting the reports from my doctors, and the skepticism, made it difficult to take the leap. But I did the research and am willing to take risks. I respect the doctors in Jakarta, and I understand their concerns, but you also have to understand yourself and research all options out there. You deserve the best treatment.”

“The overall cost was surprisingly not as high as here. Robotic surgery here in Jakarta would have been higher than traveling to the Center. I even have less costs than a friend who had robotic surgery here. Now, the Center has gotten very popular among my friends, and Dr. Paul is a household name.”

The Benefits of Minimally Invasive Fibroid Removal at CIGC

There are two laparoscopic surgery options for fibroid removal at The Center for Innovative GYN Care based in DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia. LAAM fibroid removal to maintain fertility and DualPortGYN for hysterectomy.

The LAAM minimally invasive technique for myomectomy is an important development, as it allows the surgeons to feel all of the fibroids. This cannot be accomplished by a robot or with standard laparoscopy. CIGC patients return to themselves in about 2 weeks. LAAM is performed as an outpatient procedure, so women return home the same day. The incisions are small, so recovery is typically two weeks or less.

The LAAM technique developed by the minimally invasive GYN surgeons at CIGC uses 2 small incisions, one 5 MM incision at the belly button, and another 1.5 inch incision at the bikini line. Through the lower 1.5 inch incision, the CIGC surgeon can repair the uterus so that women who wish to maintain fertility will have a better chance of conceiving and carrying a child to term. Using advanced minimally invasive surgical techniques, LAAM allows the surgeons to thoroughly remove all fibroids, no matter the size, location or number, and the uterus is repaired by hand.

A DualPortGYN hysterectomy uses just two tiny 5 mm incisions, one at the belly button, and the other at the bikini line. A minimally invasive hysterectomy is recommended for women who have abnormal bleeding and pelvic pain due to adenomyosis and who are finished with child bearing. While fibroids can be removed with a minimally invasive myomectomy, additional fibroids are likely to grow. The only cure for fibroids is a hysterectomy.

LAAM and DualPortGYN use an advanced technique called retroperitoneal dissection. The surgeon is able to see the entire pelvic cavity, and using bilateral uterine artery occlusion, blood loss is minimal. This is an advancement over other procedures, as they cannot control for blood loss, which limits the size and number of fibroids that can be removed.

Want to Explore the Next Step?

The CIGC state-of-the-art specialists are available at two locations in the DC metro area and two locations in Montclair, NJ, and Manhattan, NY. Virginia patients can visit the Reston, VA location, and Saturday appointments are available, or schedule a consultation at our Maryland office located in Rockville, MD.

CIGC is dedicated to providing information and materials for women to help navigate the complicated healthcare system. The CIGC founders, minimally invasive GYN surgical specialists Dr. Paul MacKoul, MD and Dr. Natalya Danilyants, MD, developed their advanced GYN surgical techniques using only two small incisions with patients’ well-being in mind. Dr. Rupen Baxi, MD is a CIGC-trained minimally invasive GYN specialist with extensive fellowship training and a respected speaker and researcher.

Their personalized approach to care helps patients understand their condition and the recommended treatment so that they can have confidence from the very start. Our surgeons have performed over 20,000 GYN procedures and are constantly finding better ways to improve outcomes for patients.