Hysterectomy With No Visible Scars  

Dr. Karen Kennedy has been specially trained on this innovative approach to hysterectomy and other common gynecologic procedures. Dr. Kennedy, who is the only surgeon in the Pensacola and panhandle area performing this technique, has been offering vNOTES to enhance patient care for women. 

Dr. Kennedy also proctors other doctors who are learning the vNOTES procedure, teaching them the principles and techniques of the procedure with no skin scars.

Per Dr. Kennedy, “I am always seeking least invasive and easy options for patients for surgical procedures. This laparoscopic hysterectomy has advantages above any laparoscopic or open procedure available by eliminating visible scars, making hysterectomy safer, and getting women back to usual functions sooner than most surgeries performed today. With no scars, women forget they just had a hysterectomy and can put the surgery in the past sooner.”

The vNOTES technique, with uses the vagina as a surgical access route, is the newest approach to hysterectomy procedures. For the surgery, a vaginal laparoscopic platform device is placed through the vagina into the pelvic cavity, giving access to the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. This device allows the abdomen to be insufflated with carbon dioxide gas to give the surgeon the space needed to see and operate. A high definition camera and specialized instruments are inserted through the device, allowing Dr. Kennedy to operate with the most procedure and visualization. With the surgery is completed, the vNOTES device is removed and the gas is evacuated.

Dr. Kennedy states “The vast majority of my patients leave the surgical center a few short hours after the vNOTES hysterectomy is completed. By the next day they have minimal pain and are starting to do normal activities. They are very pleased with no visible scars at all.”

One patient said, “I can’t believe the surgery was done with no incisions, there are no scars on my belly. I feel great today (the day after surgery) even after that large uterus was removed with no incisions.”

The HALON study, a randomized, controlled trial whose results were recently published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, showed that the vNOTES procedure has many advantages when compared to the traditional laparoscopic approach. Benefits include reduced operating time, reduced pain, reduced use of medication, a shorter hospital stay, and faster recovery time.

The American College of obstetricians and gynecologists and the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists have recommended vaginal hysterectomy, whenever feasible, as the approach of choice. This new approach makes the vaginal hysterectomy much safer.

In the US, about 500,000 hysterectomies are performed each year for women with chronic pain, fibroids, heavy bleeding, pelvic prolapse, endometriosis, and precancerous or cancerous tumors.

Dr. Karen Kennedy has been treating women in the Gulf Breeze, Navarre, and Pensacola area for over 20 years. She specializes in gynecology and women’s health, cosmetic gynecology, and hormone therapy.

Dr. Kennedy and nurse practitioners Laura Sigler and Laura Hall excel in individualized patient care and providing medical options. Her services and practice are profiled at karenkennedymd.com, and the office can be reached at 850–916–7766.