Overview

Robotic-assisted sacrocolpopexy is a type of surgery done to repair pelvic organ prolapse. Your pelvis is a bowl-shaped cavity made of a set of bones in the lower part of your abdomen. Within this area there are several organs. These include the uterus, the bladder, and the lower part of your intestines. Strong tissues help hold these organs in place. If the tissues weaken, one or more of these organs may drop down and press against or bulge into the vagina. This is called pelvic organ prolapse. One type of pelvic organ prolapse is called vaginal vault prolapse. This is when the upper part of the vagina folds down into the lower part or even push outside the vaginal opening in some cases. This can happen after a hysterectomy.

Robotic-assisted sacrocolpopexy is a type of surgery to repair this condition. It is done to pull up the tissues and move the organs back into their original place. It is a minimally invasive surgery done under general anesthesia that leaves very few scars. While in surgery, the doctor will put small tools and a tiny camera through small incisions on your lower belly. This gives the performing surgeon a better view of the area in your body. The surgeon moves the tools using a robotic controller (thus, the name of the procedure) which allows the surgeon  to perform very small and precise movements with tools inside the confined area. A graft of tissue or synthetic mesh is sewn onto the pelvic organs that have prolapsed. The graft is then attached to a bony area at the lower part of the spinal column, which helps keep the pelvic organs in place. The tools are then removed. The incisions are closed and bandaged.

The benefits of a robotic-assisted sacrocolpopexy is generally lower risk of complications and shorter hospital stay and recovery times. 

Some common conditions where robotic-assisted sacrocolpopexy may be the right procedure:

• Pressure filled fullness in the vagina
• A bulge in the vagina or tissue bulging out from the vagina
• Leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, or laugh
• Sudden urges to urinate
• Constipation
• Pain during sexual intercourse

Mild symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse can sometimes be treated without surgery through pelvic floor exercises or the use of a pessary (a prosthetic device) to provide support. However, if one has moderate to severe prolapse symptoms, surgery may be the right solution, especially if the patient does not plan to have children in the future.

If surgery is decided to be the right solution, then it is worthy to consider Asan Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea. It is the hospital with the most experience in the field in Korea with state-of-the-art medical equipment in a modern facility. It is staffed with the most esteemed surgeons in robotic-assisted sacrocolpopexy such as Professor Lee Sa-Ra, who has successfully completed over 200 surgeries in patients with the modern technique. Their average age was 60.6 years old. Of these, 92 patients under the age of 60 with a high risk of recurrence had no relapse and 72 patients over the age of 65 returned to their daily routine without postoperative complications.

If robotic-assisted sacrocolpopexy is the right choice for you, CloudHospital can arrange the entire process from start to finish seamlessly and conveniently.