Beaufort Memorial Hospital has expanded its use of robot-assisted surgery to offer a single-incision hysterectomy procedure, the first in the region to provide this minimally invasive option.

[caption id="attachment_17941" align="alignleft" width="150"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Christopher_Benson_MD.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-17941" alt="Dr. Christopher Benson" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Christopher_Benson_MD-150x150.jpg" width="150" height="150" /></a> Dr. Christopher Benson[/caption]

Beaufort Memorial board-certified surgeons Dr. Pat Thompson, of Beaufort Gynecology Associates, and Drs. Greg Miller and Chris Benson of Beaufort Memorial Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialists are among a small group of surgeons in the nation trained to perform this advanced procedure, and the first surgeons to offer it to women in the Lowcountry region.

Hysterectomy, the surgical removal of the uterus, is the second most common

[caption id="attachment_17943" align="alignright" width="150"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Thompson_Patricia_MD.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-17943" alt="Dr. Patricia Thompson" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Thompson_Patricia_MD-150x150.jpg" width="150" height="150" /></a> Dr. Patricia Thompson[/caption]

surgical procedure for women in the United States. An estimated one-third of all women will have a hysterectomy by age 60, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Compared to a traditional hysterectomy, a robot-assisted procedure is minimally invasive and helps women return to their normal activities more quickly.  The surgery is performed in less than two hours and many

[caption id="attachment_17942" align="alignleft" width="150"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Gregory_Miller_MD.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-17942" alt="Dr. Gregory Miller" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Gregory_Miller_MD-150x150.jpg" width="150" height="150" /></a> Dr. Gregory Miller[/caption]

patients have the option to return home the same day and nearly all go home within 24 hours. The da Vinci robot also allows for a single incision hidden within the belly button, compared to traditional laparoscopic surgeries which require three to five small, visible incisions.

“The cosmetic ramifications of a hysterectomy, whether elective or not, can weigh heavily on women,” Dr. Thompson said.  “This single-incision robot-assisted procedure now gives women a surgical option that leaves virtually no scar.”

<b>About robot-assisted surgery at Beaufort Memorial Hospital</b>

Beaufort Memorial surgeons have been performing robot-assisted surgeries locally since 2009. Robot-assisted surgery, like other minimally-invasive or laparoscopic surgeries, utilizes cameras and instruments that are inserted through small incisions in a patient’s body. The advantage is that the surgeon utilizes the hand controls of a state-of-the-art console to control the robotic arms during a procedure. Through the console’s viewfinder, the surgeon sees high definition, 3D images. The quality of the images and the precision of the surgical arms enable the surgeon to provide optimal care to their patients.

In addition to gynecologic surgery, Beaufort Memorial’s use of the da Vinci Robot includes urologic surgery and general surgery. For more information about physicians performing robot-assisted surgery at Beaufort Memorial Hospital, call 843-522-5585.