Therapeutic Laparoscopy for Removal of Fibroid Tumor

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Thursday, 29 January 2009 16:15

Therapeutic Laparoscopy for Removal of Fibroid Tumor What is a therapeutic laparoscopy? A therapeutic laparoscopy is a procedure in which your health care provider uses a laparoscope to remove tumors from your uterus. A laparoscope is a thin tube with a light and tiny camera. The uterus is the muscular organ at the top of the vagina. Babies develop in the uterus, and menstrual blood comes from the uterus. Your provider looks at the uterus through the laparoscope and uses another thin tube with a cutting instrument to remove the tumor. When is it used? This operation may be performed because you have a fibroid tumor that needs to be removed from the uterus. A fibroid tumor is a growth of tissue that is usually noncancerous. It can become large enough to press on your bladder or rectum or fill up the abdominal cavity. Examples of alternatives to this procedure are: • shrinking the tumor with the hormone Lupron • having abdominal surgery • choosing not to have treatment. Ask your health care provider about these choices. How do I prepare for a therapeutic laparoscopy? Plan for your care and recovery after the operation. Allow for time to rest. Try to find other people to help you with your day-to-day duties. Follow instructions provided by your health care provider. Eat a light meal, such as soup or salad, the night before the procedure. Do not eat or drink anything after midnight and the morning before the procedure. Do not even drink coffee, tea, or water. What happens during the procedure? You are given a general anesthetic, which relaxes your muscles, puts you to sleep, and prevents you from feeling pain. Your peritoneal cavity is inflated with a fluid or gas. This will expand your peritoneal cavity like a balloon and helps your provider see your organs. Your provider makes a small cut in or just below your bellybutton, puts the laparoscope through the cut, and puts another instrument through a second small cut in the lower abdomen. The laparoscope is used to guide the other instrument to the uterus and locate the tumor. Your provider removes the tumor by using a laser, electrocautery, or scissors. Then he or she removes the laparoscope and the instrument and sews up the openings in the abdominal wall and bellybutton. What happens after the procedure? You may stay in the hospital several hours or overnight to recover. The anesthetic will probably cause a little sleepiness or grogginess for a while. You may have some shoulder pain, feel bloated, or have a change in your bowel habits for a few days. You may not be able to urinate right away and may have a catheter (a small tube) placed into your bladder through the urethra (the tube from the bladder to the outside) for a few days. You should avoid heavy activity such as lifting. Ask your health care provider how much you can lift, what other steps you should take, and when you should come back for a checkup. What are the benefits of this procedure? The tumor can be removed without abdominal surgery. Abdominal surgery would involve a larger incision, longer hospital stay and recovery time, and greater discomfort and expense. What are the risks associated with this procedure? • There are some risks when you have general anesthesia. Discuss these risks with your provider. • The abdominal organs, glands, intestines, or blood vessels may be damaged. You may need abdominal surgery to repair them at the time of the laparoscopy. • The lining of the abdominal wall may become inflamed. • A blood clot may break off, enter the bloodstream, and clog an artery in the lung, pelvis, or legs. Rarely, a clot may break off and clog an artery in the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke. • You may become unable to get pregnant if both ovaries are damaged. • You may have infection or bleeding. • You may have some pain after the procedure. • You may have an allergic reaction to the fluid used during the procedure. Ask your health care provider how these risks apply to you. When should I call my health care provider? Call your provider right away if: • You develop a fever over 100°F (37.8°C). • You become dizzy and faint. • You have nausea and vomiting. • You become suddenly short of breath. • You have abdominal pain or swelling that gets worse.

Last Updated on Sunday, 08 February 2009 16:23