USA Health celebrates 100th vNOTES hysterectomy

USA Health has completed its 100th procedure using a minimally invasive technique for performing a hysterectomy. Physicians and team members celebrated the milestone at an event on Thursday, Nov. 14.

USA Health is the only health system in the area to offer vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES), an advanced approach to hysterectomy that removes the uterus through the vagina, with no abdominal incisions.

“VNOTES is a leading-edge technique that provides many benefits for women, including a shorter recovery time,” said Charles R. Hanes, II, M.D., a urogynecologist at USA Health and an adjunct associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine. “The advantage is that there are no abdominal incisions or puncture sites, and therefore no abdominal scars. Because of this, there is much less post-operative pain and a superior cosmetic result.”

Hanes and Tracy Y. Roth, M.D., an OB-GYN at USA Health and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Whiddon College of Medicine, perform vNOTES procedures at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital.

During the procedure, surgeons use instruments, including a specialized camera, to see, reach and remove the uterus through the vagina.

About half a million hysterectomies are performed each year in the United States, and vaginal hysterectomy is the approach recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) whenever indicated and feasible.

In addition to hysterectomies, vNOTES can be used for Fallopian tube or ovarian procedures.