Minimally Invasive Approaches to Myoma Management

Abstract

Patients affected by the presence of leiomyomas may incur a substantial physical, emotional, social, and financial toll as well as losses in their quality of life. Although many myomas are not amenable to medical therapy or hysteroscopic resection, many others are amenable to minimally invasive surgical approaches. In patients who prefer to retain their fertility, laparoscopic myomectomy should be considered the intervention of choice. In this review, we expand on the surgical techniques of both conventional laparoscopic and robotic-assisted myomectomies. We discuss port placement, enucleation of myomas, tissue extraction, minimization of blood loss, adhesion prevention, and the technique for closure of uterine incisions. Finally, we discuss the available data supporting the use of these 2 approaches as the preferred, safe, and effective fertility-sparing surgical option. We also briefly discuss the emerging technologies of uterine artery embolization, ultrasound surgery, and radiofrequency ablation.

Keywords: Laparoscopic myomectomy; Laparoscopy; Minimally invasive myomectomy; Myoma; Robotic surgery; Robotic-assisted myomectomy; Surgical technique.