Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a chronic disease that affects 1 in every 10 women of reproductive age. It frequently causes complaints of pain during menstruation, pain during intercourse and infertility. The surgical treatment of endometriosis is a difficult process requiring skill and experience. Although laparoscopy is frequently performed in its surgical treatment, with the use of robotic surgery endometriosis surgery has begun to be performed in a much shorter time and far more successfully.

Endometriosis can cause all the organs inside the abdomen to adhere to one another. In such cases, thanks to the three-dimensional, high-resolution image of robotic surgery, the adhesions can be examined far more clearly. Again, thanks to the robotic arms moving 540 degrees and in 7 directions, the adhesions can be separated without any complications being observed.

The most advanced stage of endometriosis, defined as ‘deep infiltrating endometriosis’, affects the intestines, the ureters (the small tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder) and the bladder inside the abdomen. It causes adhesions between the ovaries or the uterus and the bladder, the ureters and the intestines. In these operations, the imaging system of robotic surgery, which provides a 3D image and allows tenfold magnification, ensures that the operation is carried out with the fewest possible errors.

When it is considered necessary, urology and general surgery specialists also take part in these operations and the operation is carried out successfully as a team. The form of endometriosis that involves the uterine wall is known as ‘adenomyosis’. Adenomyosis causes irregular bleeding and severe pain.

The borders of adenomyosis cannot be seen as clearly as those of myomas. Thanks to the image of robotic surgery, which is three-dimensional and allows 16-fold magnification, the adenomyosis foci can be removed without leaving any behind. The remaining tissue is repaired without leaving a defect thanks to the rotational ability of the robot arms.

It varies from woman to woman and can appear in the following ways

• Pain in the lower abdominal region or in the back (pelvic pain). This pain usually worsens during the menstrual period.
• Pain during or after sexual intercourse.
• Pain when passing urine or going to the toilet during the menstrual period.
• Feeling unwell, constipation, diarrhoea or blood in the urine or stool during the menstrual period.
• Difficulty in becoming pregnant.
• Feelings of anxiety and depression are frequently seen together with the other symptoms.
• Inability to carry out normal daily activities because of severe pain.
• Rarely, in cases of thoracic endometriosis, shortness of breath and chest or shoulder pain.

Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and may carry out one or more of the following examination methods:

• Rectal examination
• Vaginal examination
• Ultrasound scan
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Diagnostic laparoscopy (the procedure of placing a small tube with a camera into the abdominal region through a small incision in order to observe whether there are endometrial lesions in the pelvic cavity)