Endometriosis=Chocolate Cyst
While physical examination and ultrasound can help identify endometriosis (Chocolate cyst), laparoscopy is the only way to definitively diagnose the disease.
Laporscopy means closed surgery. If you want, you can read the patient information article about laparoscopy on my website.
Endometriosis is a condition that occurs when the tissue, which is the innermost layer of the uterus, grows in other parts of the body and forms lesions. Finding this tissue elsewhere can cause severe pain, discomfort, bleeding, and infertility. Endometrial tissue responds to hormones, and while the endometrial tissues in the uterus are expelled in the normal menstrual cycle, endometrial foci located elsewhere may also cause cramping and bleeding since they will be affected by hormones.
Not all endometriosis lesions are difficult or often impossible to detect using non-invasive imaging techniques such as ultrasound, so doctors must perform laparoscopy to make a diagnosis. Laparoscopy is a surgical method in which the surgeon enters through these incisions with a camera to see the inside of the abdomen, following small incisions in the abdomen of the person. It enables endometriosis lesions to be searched and, if possible, to be removed with surgical instruments.
This article is intended for you to learn more about laparoscopy for endometriosis and what can happen before, during, and after the procedure.
Your doctor will give you specific information on how to prepare for surgery. These may include:
Sometimes, your doctor may recommend using a special soap in the shower the night or day before surgery or another method of cleansing your abdomen to help prevent infections. A person cannot shower or bathe for at least 48 hours after surgery, so you may want to take a shower before going to the hospital. Doctors may also order a bowel preparation, which includes taking medication to empty the bowels before surgery. Bowel preparation can be an unpleasant part of surgical preparation, but it helps the doctor safely remove any, if any, endometriosis lesions from the gastrointestinal tract.
The nurse or other healthcare professional will give you a hospital gown and compression stockings. These tight stockings help prevent deep vein thrombosis (blood clot). The nurse opens the person's vascular access, which the anesthesiologist will then use to administer the anesthesia.
The doctor and nurse will meet with you before surgery to answer any questions you have and explain the risks and benefits of the procedure. Surgeons perform laparoscopy using general anesthesia, meaning the individual is completely asleep and unaware of the procedure. An anesthesiologist will give you the necessary medications and monitor the patient's vital signs throughout the entire procedure. To minimize scarring, the surgeon makes 3-4 small incisions, one of which is the navel, and then inserts a device that fills the abdomen with carbon dioxide gas. Inflating the abdomen with gas helps the surgeon see the pelvic organs.
Further incisions and instruments may be inserted later in the operation, if necessary, to identify possible areas of endometriosis and remove samples for biopsy or treatment. After surgery, surgeons remove the instruments and close the incisions with sutures. They will then cover these incisions with bandages or other dressings. Innovations in surgical approaches suggest that doctors can use a surgical robot to perform the procedure.
After the procedure, at the first stage, nurses will direct the person to the wake-up-recovery room, where they will observe vital signs and manage pain levels. It may take some time for the person to wake up after general anesthesia. During this time, they can stay in the recovery room for a few hours.
Usually, the patient does not stay in the hospital for a long time after laparoscopy for endometriosis, especially if it is done only as a diagnostic procedure. However, there are some situations that may require the patient to stay in the hospital, for example if the endometriosis is extensive and the surgeon has removed all the lesions. Your doctor may prescribe pain medications to take after surgery. The patient should avoid lifting, pushing or pulling heavy objects during the first few weeks of recovery to reduce the chance of developing a hernia. Recovery time varies from person to person, but most people can return to their regular activities within a week if there are no complications. The patient's first period after laparoscopy may be heavier and more painful than usual. With this in mind, you should organize your healing process.
There are many ways to make the patient's recovery after laparoscopy more comfortable.
To be safely taken home and assisted for the rest of the day Placing a pillow or sweater between the seat belt and the abdomen to reduce the pressure on the wounds on the way home. Prepare at home with a bag or container by the bed, as anesthesia often causes nausea and vomiting Consuming peppermint tea to relieve gas pain due to trapped carbon dioxide. Gas can cause pain in the abdomen and shoulders and may take several days or weeks to leave the body. Taking slow, light walks in the days following the procedure to help relieve gas Use of sanitary pads as slight bleeding may occur in the first few days after surgery. I Patients should not use tampons or insert anything into the vagina during the recovery period. For the recovery process, leave or a report should be obtained from work and school. In cases of extensive surgery, some patients initially find it more comfortable to work part-time or work from home for 1-2 weeks if possible, which you may want to consider if you can. It's common to get emotional after laparoscopy. When waking from anesthesia, some patients may cry or feel awkward. Diagnosis of endometriosis can sometimes take up to 10 years after the onset of symptoms, and having a definitive diagnosis after surgery may affect the patient emotionally.
When a person first reports endometriosis-like symptoms, doctors generally do not recommend laparoscopy as the first choice, because although the incisions are small, laparoscopy is an invasive procedure and carries some risks. They will usually try other non-invasive procedures first to rule out other possibilities. For example, they may use imaging scans such as ultrasound to look for ovarian cysts or fibroids that may be causing pelvic pain. Endometriosis can be detected using transvaginal ultrasound. This is usually possible if there are large endometriotic cysts known as endometriomas.
Doctors may prescribe birth control pills when they think a person has endometriosis. Endometriosis patients often find that their symptoms improve if they take these medications. However, endometriosis can continue to cause symptoms even with hormonal therapy. Not everyone is suitable for hormone therapy. For example, some patients cannot use estrogen-containing drugs, as they may increase the risk of stroke.
Sometimes laparoscopy may be performed to confirm the diagnosis of endometriosis, while some lesions may be removed during the procedure that may reduce symptoms. Therefore, while there is no definitive cure for endometriosis, laparoscopy is often helpful in definitively diagnosing and treating the condition in some patients.
Any invasive procedure carries some risks. The doctor should explain these to the patient before the procedure. One of the most serious potential side effects is injury to the gut while interfering with these lesions, especially if there are lesions of endometriosis in the gut. Therefore, if there is a lesion in the intestines, a general surgeon should be involved in the operation.
Ideally, if the surgeon removes the endometriosis lesions during surgery, the patient will experience fewer symptoms. However, some patients may need more than one laparoscopy to remove the lesions, especially if the lesions are large.
About 40 to 80 percent of women unfortunately feel pain again within 2 years after surgery. Many patients have hormonal treatments, etc., to help control endometriosis following laparoscopy. drug therapy is used. The patient should talk to their doctor about other options to reduce pain and other symptoms.
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