Within two weeks, the first procedures in a modern endoscopic surgery room will be performed at the Gynecology Clinic of the University Teaching Hospital in Białystok, Dr. Piotr Laudański from this clinic told PAP on Thursday.
The room, as the head of this clinic, Prof. Piotr Knapp – the first of its kind in Poland – was equipped as part of the project Providing the highest standard of care to a woman through the development of endoscopic techniques, for which the clinic in Białystok received money from the so-called Norwegian funds. It is the amount of PLN 3,2 million.
In addition to the purchase of equipment for endoscopic operations, the project also includes a series of trainings for over five hundred family doctors and gynecologists. Five doctors are also trained abroad in endoscopic techniques.
The content coordinator of the project, Dr. Laudański, says that endoscopic techniques will allow some patients to perform the so-called sparing, minimally invasive surgery. Endoscopic surgeries are less burdensome than traditional ones, because patients recover faster, after the surgery there is a small incision in the abdomen, and the woman the next day – if there are no complications – can leave the hospital. Laudański says that it is also beneficial for the hospital, which incurs lower costs.
New equipment and new techniques will help in the treatment of so-called uterine infertility causes, i.e. intrauterine fibroids and adhesions, it will also be possible to operate and treat cervical and endometrial cancer. It will also be possible to carry out fetoscopic operations – it will be possible to treat some malformations of the fetus in the womb. This is a novelty in Białystok.
Laudański explained that the new techniques will help, among others more effective treatment of more difficult fibroids with benign neoplastic lesions, which have so far been surgically operated in a classic way, with a wide incision of the patient’s abdomen. Now it can be less invasive.
Surgery for advanced cervical tumors will also be less invasive. First of all, in young women, doctors want to perform surgeries so that they have a chance of becoming pregnant and having a baby in the future. The point is not to remove – as in traditional methods – the entire reproductive organ, but only the cervix with adjacent tissues, and leave the uterine body, the place where pregnancy develops, explains Laudański.
Endoscopic techniques will also be helpful in the diagnosis of the stage of the cancer. It will be possible to pick up the lymph nodes accurately and see which are occupied by the tumor.
Laudański noted that most women, however, require traditional operations. This is the first step to first perform surgeries in a selected group of patients, learn to effectively implement these methods, and then, I think that over time, we will be able to successfully implement them in a larger group of patients for the benefit of them and us – said Laudański .
The new room will also include fetoscopic surgeries, i.e. diagnostics and treatment of certain fetal defects in the mother’s womb. Laudański previously told PAP that doctors would want to focus on the so-called theft syndrome in twin pregnancies. This syndrome occurs when twins share a placenta and have abnormal blood vessels. Then one twin steals the blood from another, one child is bigger, the other one is very small, although the bigger one is also in a disadvantageous situation, because it is overloaded by circulation. Treatment is based on laser correction of these abnormal connections, which is performed at the appropriate time of pregnancy.
As part of the project, five doctors are trained in various renowned centers in Europe. Laudański emphasized that the practical experience and skills of the doctors who will perform the operations are very important. The difficulty in such an operation is, inter alia, the fact that the doctor has no contact with the operated tissue, operates remotely, and uses modern medical devices and instruments.
The modern room is also equipped with remote data transmission devices – a special telemedicine module. This is to allow for consulting cases with specialists – also abroad – even during the procedure.
The value of the entire project is approx. PLN 3,5 million, of which approx. it is a subsidy from the Ministry of Health, the rest comes from Norwegian funds. The project will last until 15.
The Norwegian Financial Mechanism is a non-returnable financial aid for Poland granted to Eastern Europe by three countries (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) in connection with Poland’s accession to the European Union and the European Economic Area (PAP).