Abstract
Study Objective:
To further explore the potential of vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) as a modality of adnexal surgery at the time of hysterectomy in a residency training program.
Design:
Retrospective pilot study.
Setting:
Charleston Area Medical Center OB/GYN Residency, a tertiary care center and residency training facility located in Charleston, WV.
Patients:
Female patients aged 18 years and above undergoing vaginal hysterectomy and adnexal surgery for benign gynecologic indications.
Interventions:
No interventions were rendered.
Main Results:
In total, 29 cases were included in the pilot study. One out of 29 (3%) was readmitted to the hospital after vNOTES. No intraoperative surgical complications occurred. Two out of 29 (7%) vNOTES attempts were abandoned for traditional total vaginal hysterectomy with traditional adnexal surgery. No postoperative wound infection, cuff dehiscence, or unintended visceral injury occurred. These are comparable with outcomes to other modalities of hysterectomy.
Conclusion:
Our study demonstrates the safety and utility of vNOTES in the setting of a residency training program. In doing so, it is the hope of this study that it will inspire the use of vNOTES in other training programs in the United States, as improved vaginal surgical skills are critical to resident education. Ultimately, the authors feel that vNOTES will improve patient satisfaction with incision-free surgery without compromising safety. (J GYNECOL SURG 37:232)
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