Abdominal hysterectomy typically requires a three to five day hospital stay, followed by four to six weeks recuperating at home. Laparoscopy makes it possible to perform this procedure in a minimally-invasive manner. Patients usually go home one or two days after surgery and are able to resume normal activities within a week or two.
Surgery
Depending on the condition being treated, a hysterectomy may be performed with an incision or using minimally-invasive techniques. If the surgery is being perfomed laparoscopically, the surgeon uses a thin, telescope-like instrument called a laparoscope, which is inserted through a small incision at the belly button. The laparoscope is connected to a tiny video camera which projects a view of the operative site onto video monitors in the operating room. The abdomen is inflated with carbon dioxide gas to allow your surgeon a better view of the operative area. Three or four additional small incisions are made near the laparoscope through which the surgeon inserts specialized surgical instruments. The surgeon uses these instruments to detach the uterus and seal its supporting blood vessels. The uterus is removed through the vagina. Following the procedure, the small incisions are closed with sutures and covered with Band-Aids. After a few months, the incisions are barely visible.
