NUMC’S DR. TETROKALASHVILI OFFERS LAPAROSCOPIC TUBAL RE-ANASTOMOSIS FOR TREATMENT OF TUBAL INFERTILITY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 28, 2011
PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055
NUMC’S DR. TETROKALASHVILI OFFERS LAPAROSCOPIC TUBAL RE-ANASTOMOSIS FOR TREATMENT OF TUBAL INFERTILITY
EAST MEADOW, NY…Maggie Tetrokalashvili, MD, FACOG, FACF, director of gynecology, infertility and reproductive endocrinology at the Nassau University Medical Center, has been successfully pioneering tubal reanastomosis for the treatment of tubal infertility since 2009.
“Tubal re-anastomosis is appealing to couples who either desire sterilization reversal or who are not comfortable with in-vitro fertilization (IVF),” stated Dr. Tetrokalashvili, who has extensive experience in both open and laparoscopic procedure to tubal re-anastomosis with excellent results. “Irreversible tubal sterilization has been an accepted method of birth control for many years and it is not uncommon for a patient to request reversal of the procedure to allow further pregnancies as this usually occurs when the patient enters a new relationship.”
Tubal re-anastomosis is the reversal of tubal ligation procedures, performed either open or laparoscopic. Traditionally a large abdominal incision and laparotomy was required for access, an operating microscope was needed, and hospitalization of 3 to 5 days was common; long term complications also included formation of adhesions involving the operating site and impairing fertility.
Laparoscopy requires a small, approximately one-centimeter, incision in the navel through which a lighted telescope can be placed to view the uterus, tubes, and ovaries. If adequate tubal length is present to be reconnected, two five millimeter incisions are made just above the pubic hairline. Using magnification to enlarge the image of the fallopian tubes, the blocked ends are reopened surgically. The tubes are precisely realigned using a stent and then reconnected using microsurgical sutures. The patient is discharged home the same day as the surgery.
Chaur-Dong Hsu, MD, MPH, FACOG, chairman of the department of OB/GYN at NUMC, praised Dr. Tetrokalashvili for her commitment to helping women who wish to reverse tubal ligation procedures: “Minimal access techniques using laparoscopy have recently been developed which allow successful re-anastomosis without the need for laparotomy or microscopes. Hospital stay and recovery time can be reduced to same day ambulatory procedure, and the development of adhesions is uncommon.”
For additional information or to make an appointment, please call NUMC’s Women’s Services at 516-572-6566.
ABOUT WOMEN SERVICES AT NUMC
NuHealth Women’s Care offers an integrated approach that delivers the full range of services a woman needs in a caring, respectful environment. The department is capable of handling nearly anything from general obstetrics and gynecology to infertility, high risk obstetrics, breast health and gynecologic oncology, with top physicians ranked by castle Connelly and Consumer research Council of America, experienced nurses, LI’s lowest Caesarean section rate, LI’s only water birthing tub, and breast feeding and infant care classes.
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