Nov 17, 2022 3 min read

There was a time when if a woman needed a hysterectomy she could expect a hospital stay followed by an at-home recovery period of four to six weeks.

Now, a new minimally invasive procedure called vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES), performed by Dr. Walter R. Cox at Penn Highlands Gynecology, formerly Valley Women’s Health, enables women to resume most normal activities within days.

In September, Debbie Bachinski, of Monessen, was one of the first women to benefit from this new procedure.

“When I saw Dr. Cox in his Monongahela office for the first time in July 2022, my routine pap test came back with significant changes over previous tests,” said Bachinski. “Dr. Cox performed a colposcopy and removed some cervical polyps in his office. They were biopsied and came back ‘all clear.’ To avoid any further complications, Dr. Cox recommended a hysterectomy performed with the new procedure.”

The vNOTES procedure is an advanced gynecologic technique that provides several benefits to patients, such as shorter hospital stays, less postoperative pain, no visible scars and a faster recovery time.

Cox is one of the few surgeons in Southwestern Pennsylvania who has been specially trained to perform the innovative approach to hysterectomies.

Cox said a traditional hysterectomy requires a larger abdominal incision, and recently smaller abdominal laparoscopic incisions.

vNOTES allows Cox to access the abdominal area – the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries – with precision and visualization, without making abdominal incisions.

In vNOTES, a device is inserted into the vagina, which allows the abdomen to be slightly inflated with carbon dioxide to give the surgeon the space needed to see and operate. A high-definition camera and specialized instruments are inserted through the device, which enable the surgeon to perform the hysterectomy successfully.

Patients can leave the hospital the same day they have the vNOTES hysterectomy.

“They have appreciated the fact that they can return to their normal activities more quickly,” said Cox. “This is especially beneficial to young patients undergoing risk-reducing surgery due to a genetic predisposition to ovarian cancer.”

Bachinski said she didn’t experience bleeding or other common side effects associated with a hysterectomy.

“I do not have any scars either,” said the mother of three.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists are among the surgical societies that have recommended vaginal hysterectomy, whenever possible, as the approach of choice.

Cox sees patients at Penn Highlands Gynecology with offices at Penn Highlands Mon Valley, 1163 Country Club Road, Monongahela, and at the Penn Highlands Mon Valley HealthPlex, 800 Plaza Drive, Rostraver Township.