Women’s health is taking an important step forward in northeastern Ontario, through new surgical techniques being introduced to Health Sciences North (HSN), said a press release from the hospital.
HSN has begun performing advanced, laparasopic (minimally invasive) surgery for the treatment of endometriosis. Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside of the uterus, causing severe pain and in some cases fertility problems.
The new surgical procedures were introduced to HSN through a partnership between Sudbury surgeon Dr. Stephen Morris and Dr. Abheha Satkunaratnam of St. Michael’s and Women’s College hospitals in Toronto.
Satkunaratnam is one of Canada’s leading gynecologic surgeons. Morris, already a skilled laparascopic surgeon, trained under Satkunaratnam during his surgical residency in Toronto.
Currently, such complex cases in Greater Sudbury are being referred to major centres such as Toronto or Ottawa.
“Certainly it will improve access for women who need this type of surgery,” says Dr. Morris.
“We always worry about patients having to travel, so I think it would be a great thing to push the boundaries a bit and offer more complex surgery for women with this type of health problem.”
“Generally in Canada, women’s health – especially benign health – is low on the priority list, in terms of service, and access to innovative procedures and technologies,” said Satkunaratnam. “Because HSN is a regional referral centre which serves such a large catchment area, it’s ripe to offer these kinds of advanced procedures.”
The partnership between Morris and Satkunaratnam has also introduced advanced new surgical technology to HSN.
With the assistance of Satkunaratnam, Morris has been using a new piece of equipment called the JPlasma tool. It delivers a blast of plasma energy in a an extremely tight pattern to allow surgeons to remove the fibrous tissue causing endometriosis. With plasma energy, there is less risk of damage to surrounding tissue compared to traditional methods of cauterization, and surgeons have more control.
The technology was first used in Canada by Satkunaratnam. HSN is only the second centre in the country to use the JPlasma tool for endometriosis surgery.
“Congratulations to Morris and the entire Surgical Program at HSN for embracing innovation that is improving care and outcomes when it comes to women's health,” says David McNeil, HSN’s Vice President of Clinical Programs, in a press release.
“Women in northeastern Ontario shouldn’t have to leave this part of the province to benefit from the latest advances in care, and in this regard HSN’s physicians and health care workers are demonstrating true leadership and initiative.”
