A Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Program has been launched by Northwestern Medical Group at a patient clinic in Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital, in the attempt to provide all available resources for women and their primary health providers, offering laparoscopic, hysteroscopic and robotic-assisted surgery for complex, benign gynecologic conditions.
Northwestern Medicine focuses on conditions like abnormal uterine bleeding, pelvic pain, endometriosis, symptomatic fibroids and large ovarian cysts, with the group now building a recognized team of academic experts to offer specialized treatment with optimized recovery times and safer results. The associated surgeons are all members of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and all received certification in advanced training in minimally invasive surgical techniques. The team also works diligently with providers including interventional radiology, physical therapy, psychology and pain experts to achieve a multidisciplinary approach to complex illnesses.
“The top hospitals in the country have developed centers of excellence for minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, and we are among them,” explained Magdy Milad, MD, MS, Chief of Gynecology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, a reproductive surgeon, Professor and Division Head of the minimally invasive gynecologic surgery program. “We are continuing to build on our leadership in advancements in gynecologic care.”
According to a press release, the Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Program focuses on:
- Expertise of world-renowned medical and surgical leaders;
- Multidisciplinary care (collaborations of physicians of various specialties and expertise);
- High volume experience with complex procedures;
- State-of-the-art equipment, including the Da Vinci robot;
- Focus on patient safety and outcomes;
- Emotional and psychological support, including on-site presence of a psychologist who specializes in women’s health;
- Physical therapy and pain management (including affiliation with the Rehabilitation Institute ofChicago);
- Partnership with Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Prentice Women’s Hospital for an experience focused on women’s health;
- Physician leadership of and participation in cutting-edge research.
The new Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Program also partners with other dedicated Northwestern Medicine programs including the Integrated Pelvic Health Program, Gynecologic Oncology, and Fertility and Reproductive Medicine. Dr. Serdar Bulun, Director of the Uterine Leiomyoma Research Center Program, the only NIH-funded fibroid research program worldwide, is an internationally renowned expert in endometriosis and also a partner, together with Dr. Erica Marsh who participates as one of the 10 investigational sites who focus on improving treatment for uterine fibrosis, a current noncancerous tumor that takes the second place for women at childbearing age to undergo surgery.
“The goal of this program is to provide excellent gynecologic care to the women of Chicago,” stated Angela Chaudhari, MD, a gynecologic surgeon, Assistant Professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Feinberg. “Minimally invasive procedures are consistently associated with better outcomes and lower complication rates. We wanted to create a center where patients can come to get more specialized multidisciplinary care.”