New womb removal procedure gives hope

IT’S an invasive operation that can rob women of their sex life.

But a new keyhole procedure for hysterectomy means many may still be able to enjoy intimacy.

The technique involves encasing the womb in a bag before it is removed.

This minimises damage to surrounding tissue, which can lead to long-term problems with intercourse and incontinence.

The procedure slashes the risk of post-surgical complications to just 2%, compared with up to 60% in some conventional techniques.

Each year more than 55 000 British women have a hysterectomy involving complete removal of the womb.

Commonly, the procedure is completed via a large cut into the stomach during major, open surgery. It involves a week-long hospital stay with women unable to drive, walk long distances, exercise or have sex for months.

Many women now opt for keyhole procedures at specialist hospitals, which involve a smaller scar and much shorter recovery times.

The new procedure has all the benefits of keyhole surgery, including a lower rate of infection and faster recovery time.

It involves the womb being contained inside a surgical bag which is inflated around it in the abdomen. The organ is then cut into small pieces.

The bag is deflated and removed through an incision in the abdomen less than 2.5cm long, a 10th of the size of the incision in an open hysterectomy.

The procedure is called in-bag morcellation.