Obese patients are no more likely to have post-operative complications than those of average weight when undergoing robotic surgery to remove uterine fibroids, according to a study at Henry Ford Hospital.
Myomectomy is a procedure that removes uterine fibroids, leaving the uterus intact and preserving the ability for future pregnancies.
"Performing laparoscopic myomectomy on an obese patient can present difficulties for the most experienced gynecologic surgeon," says David Eisenstein, M.D., division head, Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery, at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, and co-author of the study. "However, this challenge can now be overcome with the assistance of surgical robots that provide the surgeon with three-dimensional images, improved instrument dexterity and better precision."
The study was presented today at the 38th Global Congress of Minimally Invasive Gynecology in Orlando.
In the U.S., the percentage of adults who are obese, defined as a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30, doubled from 1980 to 2000. Since 1991, the number of obese adults has increased by 74 percent, with nearly 23 million being women.
BMI is a numerical value of a person's weight in relation to height. The numbers are good indicators of healthy weights for adult men and women, regardless of body frame size. BMIs of more than 30 are associated with significantly increased health risks in some people.
The study followed 77 patients who underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic myomectomy from January 2005 through November 2008 at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.