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PELVIC PAIN &
AMENORRHEA IN TEENS
MAY BE SYMPTOMS OF SERIOUS DEVELOPMENTAL DEFECT
Center for Women’s Care
& Reproductive Surgery First to Offer Laparoscopic Correction for
Vaginal Abnormality, MRKH Syndrome
ATLANTA, GA—Up to a half
million women in the U.S. are born with anomalies of the urinary and
reproductive system. In females thousands of these mullerian
anomalies, including the absence of a vagina, may not be discovered
until the girl reaches puberty.
MRKH (Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser)
syndrome includes failure of the vaginal development, whether or
not the uterus is present. Adolescent girls with MRKH syndrome and
obstruction defects, may complain that they have not begun
menstruation, labeled primary amenorrhea.
Patients with
these anomalies also may experience a problem with no means of out
flowing menstrual blood produced by a functioning uterus. This
leads to distention of the uterus by the accumulated blood, which
causes significant pelvic pain. Additionally, risks of infection
and endometriosis significantly increase, further contributing to
the severity of the pelvic pain.
In some cases, female patients have
discovered their anomaly after inability to have intercourse because
of an absent vagina. For many, multiple painful attempts of
intercourse have led to distortion of existing external genital
structures and scarring of the area, as well as chronic pelvic
pain.
In 2005, the Center for Women’s Care
& Reproductive Surgery in Atlanta became the sole location in the
U.S. to correct this problem laparoscopically with the use of pelvic
peritoneum.
Laparoscopy for Vaginal Aplasia, or
Non-Development of the Vagina
Techniques for
correction over the years involved use of segments of the rectum,
sigmoid colon and small intestine, as well as skin graft. In 1898,
using open surgery, Dr. D.O. Ott formed a neovagina using peritoneum
of the pelvis. It was then discovered that the cells of the
peritoneum (the smooth transparent membrane lining the abdominal
cavity) rapidly converted into typical vaginal cells. Different
approaches to this technique evolved over time.
Nearly 100 years
later, in 1993 Dr. L.V. Adamyan developed a laparoscopy-assisted
technique for colpopoesis (creation of the neovagina), using the
pelvic peritoneum. This minimally invasive technique is far easier
on the patient, as it involves only tiny incisions and is performed
in less than an hour. More than one thousand of them have been
performed, proving their efficacy.
The procedure
allows achievement of adequate functional vaginal length and
elasticity, and the peritoneal epithelium (cellular layer that lines
the walls of the abdominal cavity) converts into normal vaginal
epithelium within three months after surgery.
In addition, this
procedure can be used to correct post-surgical shortening of the
vagina, a condition that may have occurred from previous surgeries.
Correction of the
majority of mullerian anomalies, as well as a wide spectrum of
treatments for pelvic pain and endometriosis, involves advanced
skills in laparoscopy and/or hysteroscopy.
World-renowned head
of the Center for Women’s Care & Reproductive Surgery, Thomas L.
Lyons, M.D., and his Fellow, Assia A. Stepanian, M.D., learned the
technique firsthand from its author, and they are the only U.S.
surgeons with experience in laparoscopic correction of MRKS syndrome
using the pelvic peritoneum.
After researching
the Internet and discovering the Center for Women’s Care at
http://www.thomasllyons.com, patients come to Dr. Lyons from
around the world for advanced laparoscopic techniques.
Contact Dr. Lyons
toll-free at 888-545-0400 or in Atlanta metro area at 770-352-0037.
Offices are also in Lake Oconee and Blue Ridge, Georgia.
Email the Center for Women's Care
Center for Women's Care &
Reproductive Surgery© 2006
1140 Hammond Drive, Suite
F6230
Atlanta, Georgia 30328.
Copyright 2005
Toll Free 1 (888) 545-0400
Metro Atlanta (770) 352-0037
This page last updated
10/16/2007
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