Advance Women's Health Institute Michael L. Moore, M.D. 425 S Cherry St Suite 907 Denver, CO 80246 USA Office: 303.321.2255 Toll Free: 1.800.577.4295 Fax: 303.321.0856		View a Topic: __________________________________ Abnormal Uterine Bleeding Fibroid Tumors Endometriosis Chronic Pelvic Pain Pelvic Prolapse Urinary Incontinence Infertility Hormone Replacement Therapy What are the treatment options? Laparoscopic surgery can now be performed using minimally invasive techniques. The long-term results are as good as open abdominal surgery. Laparoscopic surgery - Offers the advantage of the abdominal procedure, but with less pain and a faster recovery because the incisions are smaller. The available comparative studies indicate laparoscopic surgery is just as effective as a large open abdominal incision. - The surgery is performed in-hospital with general anesthetic. Patients remain in the hospital for 1-2 days. A suprapubic catheter is necessary and is usually removed in 3-4 days after the surgery, however you do not have to remain in the hospital while your catheter is in place. - There are many procedures that can be performed depending on the severity of the prolapse. Most are performed laparoscopically. All attempts will be made to repair the torn tissues as anatomically (the way they were originally designed) correct as possible. Return to top Surgeries include: The BURCH procedure - Named after Dr. Burch, the bladder neck is pulled up by attaching permanent sutures to the sides of the bladder neck and then these permanent sutures are stitched to Cooper's ligament on the back of the pubic bone. This supports the bladder neck at the time of coughing, sneezing, or lifting, and prevents incontinence. Paravaginal repair - Internally, the sides of the pelvic floor tissue have torn off the vaginal sidewall. Suturing the vaginal tissue back to the pelvic sidewall repairs this problem. Enterocele and rectocele - The tissues in the space between the vagina and rectum have torn. A low tear is called a rectocele. A high is called an enterocele. In some cases, tearing creates both processes. The areas of tissue tearing are identified and repaired as required. Open abdominal surgery - The pelvic prolapse is repaired by making a 6-8" incision in the abdomen. The hospital stay is 3-5 days with a recovery of 6-8 weeks. The surgery is performed in a similar fashion to the laparoscopic surgeries mentioned, however, there is a much longer recovery time. Vaginal surgery for pelvic prolapse - The outcome from vaginal prolapse repair has historically been associated with a higher failure rate than the abdominal approach. In some cases, we perform combined laparoscopic and vaginal repair depending upon the severity of the prolapse. Return to top Welcome l Minimally Invasive Surgery l Services & Care l Clinical Trials Insurance and Terms l Home l Contact Us Copyright © 2001-2003 Advanced Women's Health Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.