The Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) Center for Infertility and Reproductive Surgery is a world leader in using state-of-the-art robotics to improve reproductive surgery outcomes. This advanced technology’s potential to expand the scope of minimally invasive (laparoscopic) surgery and shorten patient recovery time is motivating more and more of our patients to consider robotic tubal sterilization reversal as a safe and effective means of restoring their fertility.
A tubal sterilization reversal – also known as tubal ligation reversal, tubal reanastomosis or, more simply, tubal reversal – is a surgical procedure to restore a woman’s fertility after she has had her “tubes tied” (tubal ligation). During a tubal ligation, a surgeon severs both fallopian tubes and then seals the segment openings by cauterizing, clamping or banding them shut. To reverse this procedure, the surgeon opens the blocked end of each tube segment and then reconnects the separated segments.
Robotic tubal sterilization reversal uses a combination of high-definition 3D magnification, robotic technology and miniature instruments to enhance a reproductive surgeon’s skills when reconstructing a woman’s fallopian tube.
The Division of Reproductive Medicine has been using the FDA-approved da Vinci® Surgical System to perform robotic tubal reversals at BWH since 2007. The system consists of a surgeon’s console, equipped with a control panel and a hi-definition monitor, and a patient side-cart, outfitted with slender robotic arms and attended by another surgeon and a nurse.
Only tiny incisions in the abdomen are required for the slender robotic arms and tiny surgical tools used in a robot-assisted tubal ligation reversal. There are four available arms, which are all wristed – one equipped with a high definition 3-D magnification camera, two that act as the surgeon’s arms and an optional arm that can be used for holding back tissue. The camera gives the surgeon enhanced detail, true depth of field and a panoramic view, and the robotic hands’ broad range of movement enables greater dexterity. This enhanced visualization, precision, and dexterity provide significant advantages when delicately reconstructing the fallopian tube, thereby helping to safely restore fertility.
These capabilities are further enhanced by the surgical console’s unique ergonomics that help ease surgeon fatigue and mechanics that enable steady movements. The surgeon remotely guides the robotic arms while seated at the console, located a short distance away from the patient. These smooth and effortless movements, along with the wristed capabilities of the robotic arms, are the most significant advantages that robotic surgery has over traditional minimally invasive surgical procedures.
Robotic surgery’s miniaturization, increased range of motion, enhanced vision and mechanical precision offer significant benefits for our reproductive surgery patients, including:
The Robot-Assisted Reproductive Surgery program at BWH began with New England's first successful robot-assisted tubal sterilization reversal in January 2007. The following month, we performed Boston's first robot-assisted hybrid myomectomy to remove large fibroids. Since then, we have completed over 400 robot-assisted surgeries at BWH, including tubal sterilization reversals, myomectomies, and other complex laparoscopic procedures, such as removing pelvic endometriosis. Our team also teaches robotic surgery techniques to doctors from around the world.
If you would like to schedule a consultation with our surgical team, please call the Patient Referral Service - staffed 8am - 5:30pm, Monday through Friday - at 1-800-294-9999, or fill out an online appointment request form.
For over a century, a leader in patient care, medical education and research, with expertise in virtually every specialty of medicine and surgery.
About BWH
