Symptoms you may be searching for
If any of these brought you here, you are in the right place.
- ovarian cyst operation
- cyst in ovary, is surgery needed
- chocolate cyst treatment
- fibroid removal without removing uterus
- ectopic pregnancy treatment
- endometriosis surgery
- tube block treatment
- laparoscopy for infertility
- hysteroscopy for uterus
- keyhole surgery recovery time
Go to a hospital now
If you have a positive pregnancy test or a missed period, with severe pain on one side of the lower abdomen, bleeding, giddiness or fainting, go to the nearest hospital emergency at once. These can be signs of a tube pregnancy (ectopic pregnancy) bleeding inside.
What is laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery?
Laparoscopic surgery is an operation done through small cuts, usually three or four, instead of one long cut across the lower abdomen. A thin telescope with a camera (the laparoscope) goes in through the navel. The abdomen is filled with carbon dioxide gas to make room, and the surgeon works with slim instruments through the other cuts. You are asleep under general anaesthesia throughout.
Smaller cuts mean less pain afterwards, a shorter hospital stay, a quicker return to work and smaller scars.
Hysteroscopy is the related procedure for the inside of the uterus. A finer telescope passes through the cervix, with no cuts, to treat polyps, a septum, scar tissue or a fibroid inside the cavity.
Keyhole surgery is a way of operating, not a treatment by itself. Many cysts and small fibroids need no operation at all.
When you should see a doctor
See a gynaecologist if:
- A scan report mentions a cyst, a chocolate cyst or a fibroid, and nobody has said whether it needs surgery.
- A cyst is larger than about five centimetres, has grown between scans, has solid parts, or causes pain.
- Period pain gets worse each year, or there is pain during intercourse or motion during periods (possible endometriosis).
- You have been trying for a baby for a year (six months if you are over 35) and the tubes have not been checked.
Many of these women need no operation. If the problem is not conceiving, start with infertility treatment in Chennai, where laparoscopy is one step among several.
How it is diagnosed at RV Clinic
Dr. Ragavi reads every scan and report you bring, then examines you in the separate examination room, with a lady attender present. A transvaginal ultrasound scan at the clinic shows the size and nature of a cyst or fibroid: simple, chocolate (endometrioma), dermoid, or one that needs more tests. Blood tests may include a pregnancy test, haemoglobin, thyroid and a tumour marker (CA-125) when a cyst needs further assessment. For a suspected ectopic pregnancy, a beta-hCG blood test repeated after 48 hours is read alongside the scan.
Only then does she tell you whether surgery is needed, keyhole or open, and what happens if you wait. Pre-operative tests and an anaesthesia check are arranged before admission at the affiliated hospital.
A note on scans
Sex determination of the foetus is not done at RV Clinic, and no scan report here will state it. It is a punishable offence under the PCPNDT Act, 1994.
Treatment options
The keyhole operations Dr. Ragavi performs:
- Ovarian cyst removal (cystectomy). The cyst is peeled out and the healthy ovary kept. A suspicious cyst follows our gynaecological cancer screening and care in Chennai pathway.
- Fibroid removal keeping the uterus (myomectomy), when you want children or want to keep the uterus. Keyhole suits a limited number and size of fibroids; larger or many fibroids may need open myomectomy or, when the family is complete, hysterectomy (uterus removal) in Chennai.
- Ectopic pregnancy surgery. The pregnancy is removed from the tube, sometimes with the tube. Selected early cases without bleeding are treated with an injection (methotrexate) instead. The next pregnancy is followed as a high-risk pregnancy, with an early scan to confirm it is inside the uterus.
- Endometriosis and tubal surgery. Deposits and adhesions are removed, chocolate cysts taken out, and the tubes tested with dye. When tests are normal but conception has not happened, a diagnostic laparoscopy looks at the pelvis and treats what it finds. A badly damaged tube is removed before IVF at a fertility centre.
- Laparoscopic sterilisation, a permanent method with a clip or ring on each tube, as a day-care procedure.
- Hysteroscopy for polyps, a septum, scar tissue and fibroids inside the cavity.
When open surgery is chosen instead: a very large uterus or fibroid, many fibroids, dense adhesions, a suspected cancer where the mass must come out whole, or heavy internal bleeding. Occasionally a keyhole operation is converted to open for safety; you are told about this before consent.
Recovery. Most women go home the same day or the next after cystectomy, sterilisation or diagnostic laparoscopy, and after two to three days following myomectomy. Most are back at desk work in one to two weeks and at full activity in about four. Open surgery means about six weeks.
Risks, stated honestly. Bleeding, infection, injury to the bowel, bladder or a blood vessel (uncommon, more likely with adhesions), anaesthesia reactions, clots in the legs, shoulder-tip pain from the gas, and conversion to open. Dr. Ragavi explains these before consent.
Where treatment happens
Consultation, examination, scans and follow-up happen at RV Clinic Madipakkam or RV Clinic Thalambur, whichever is closer to you. If you need surgery, it is done by Dr. Ragavi Vikram herself at Unittas Multispeciality Hospital, which is 21 km from the Madipakkam clinic and 5 km from the Thalambur clinic. RV Clinic is an outpatient clinic. No operation is done at either clinic address.
What to expect at your appointment
- Call or WhatsApp the clinic. Bring every scan report and film you have.
- Dr. Ragavi listens, examines you with a lady attender present, and scans you if the last scan is old or unclear.
- She tells you whether surgery is needed at all, and if so keyhole or open, what is removed and kept, and the risks.
- If you decide on surgery, tests and an anaesthesia check are arranged and an admission date is fixed at the hospital.
- Follow-up at the clinic after about a week for a wound check and the tissue report, and again at six weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Ovary-la cyst irukku, surgery pannanuma?
Not always. Simple fluid cysts under about five centimetres often go away within two or three cycles and only need a repeat scan. Surgery is advised when a cyst persists, is large, causes pain or looks complex.
Will keyhole surgery affect my chance of having a baby?
Cystectomy and myomectomy keep the healthy ovary and uterus, to protect fertility. Removing endometriosis or adhesions can improve it. Dr. Ragavi asks about your plans for children before deciding.
How many days in hospital, and how much leave should I take?
Most keyhole cases stay one night, and some go home the same day. Plan one to two weeks off desk work, longer for physical work, and about four weeks before heavy lifting.
Fibroid irukku, uterus-ah edukkanuma?
Not necessarily. If you want to keep the uterus, the fibroids alone can be removed (myomectomy), by keyhole surgery when their size and number allow. Hysterectomy is discussed only when the family is complete and other treatment has not worked.
What if the operation cannot be finished by keyhole?
Occasionally, for safety, the surgeon opens the abdomen during the operation. You are told about this before you consent. Recovery is then about six weeks.
Will the scars show?
Three or four small marks, one hidden in the navel. They fade over a few months.
Book a consultation
Bring your scan reports and let Dr. Ragavi tell you plainly whether you need an operation. Call or WhatsApp the clinic for an appointment at Madipakkam or Thalambur.