Institute to offer Surgical Guarantee
July 6, 2009
The Latest in Treating Pelvic Organ Prolapse
There is a minimally invasive surgery that offers promising long-term results for women with pelvic organ prolapse. This surgery technique uses a synthetic mesh to support pelvic organs that have "dropped out" of their normal position.
Synthetic meshes, which first were used for abdominal wall hernia repair, now are being used in reconstructive pelvic surgery. The hope is to improve the durability of corrective surgery for such conditions commonly referred to as "dropped bladder." The unique mesh used in this surgery is specially designed for transvaginal placement utilizing a minimally invasive technique. The mesh is much softer, lighter and more elastic than mesh used in hernia repair.
In the past, trans-vaginal surgery for pelvic organ prolapse only reinforced the connective tissue with isolated stitches. Before, if your surgery involved the use of a synthetic mesh, it involved a large abdominal incision and long recovery for better results. Past surgeries, without mesh - most like the ones your mother or grandmother experienced - had high failure rates.
Key Benefits to New Transvaginal Mesh Surgery
- The procedure is minimally invasive and most patients experience less pain and only an overnight hospital stay.
- The largest incision is only three inches long and is made 'inside' the vagina, smaller external incisions are barely visible.
- Most women return to normal daily activities within days.
St. Luke's Limited Guarantee
We are confident in the benefits the transvaginal mesh surgery provides to our doctors and patients, so much so that we are offering a first-of-its-kind limited guarantee for mesh pelvic reconstructive surgery at St. Luke's.