http://www.or-live.com/ShawneeMission/1890 Shawnee Mission Medical Center (SMMC) will showcase a less invasive approach to hysterectomy during a live surgery Webcast on Thursday, October 18 at 7 p.m. Cranston J. Cederlind, MD, of Johnson County OB/Gyn, will perform a laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy, a procedure designed to reduce pain, shorten recovery time and decrease scarring. During the surgery, Cederlind will make three five-millimeter incisions – one at the base of the belly button and two smaller incisions near the hip bone. Laparoscopic instruments are then placed through the incisions and the uterus is separated from the cervix. Cederlind will then use an instrument called morecellator to separate the uterus into smaller pieces that can be removed through the small incisions. Preserving the cervix often means less chance of bladder complications, discomfort and bleeding. The procedure is usually performed on an outpatient basis, but some women will have to stay in the hospital overnight. Most patients need only Tylenol for the pain and many are able to return to normal activities within one to two weeks. Women who have a prolapsed uterus or have had an abnormal pap smear within the last five years are not candidates for the laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy. However, another minimally invasive technique Cederlind also performs, laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy, may be an option for these women. Prior to the development of minimally invasive surgical techniques, the only option for women was a total abdominal hysterectomy, which required a large abdominal incision and a six to eight week recovery time. More than 600,000 hysterectomies are performed in the United States each year and is the second most common surgery performed on women. Conditions leading to a hysterectomy include uterine fibroids, excessive menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia), endometriosis and pelvic support problems. About Shawnee Mission Medical Center Shawne...