We are currently involved in a number of clinical research projects. While you may qualify to participate in one of our current trials, please note that you are in no way obligated to do so. Furthermore, if you do decide to participate in one of our trials, you can discontinue your participation at any time. Participation or non-participation in clinical trials will not affect your clinical care in any way.
If you are interested to participate in one of our clinical trials, please let us know. We will send you some more detailed information about what it means to participate in a clinical trial. You will then have an opportunity to discuss this with us in detail during your visit with a physician.
Our current projects are:
1) A randomized trial comparing postoperative outcomes after a supracervical and a total laparoscopic hysterectomy
Laparoscopic hysterectomy is a commonly performed surgical procedure that offers significantly less morbidity than the more traditional laparotomy approach. Preservation of the cervix at the time of hysterectomy has not been shown to confer significant benefit to patients during a standard abdominal hysterectomy; nevertheless laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy (LSH) is a common practice, with proponents claiming a more rapid postoperative recovery than following a total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH). Observational data seems to indicate that the mean time to normal activity following TLH and LSH is three weeks and two weeks respectively. Since there are no published randomized controlled trials addressing this issue, we are proposing a randomized clinical trial comparing postoperative outcomes from LSH and TLH.
2) A randomized trial comparing robotic versus traditional laparoscopic hysterectomy
Hysterectomy is the most common non-obstetric procedure performed for reproductive-aged women in the United States. Each year, approximately 615,000 hysterectomies are performed and approximately 20 million women have had a hysterectomy. Abdominal hysterectomy accounts for approximately two-thirds of cases, despite established advantages of laparoscopic hysterectomy, including decreased postoperative intravenous analgesia requirements, less blood loss, fewer abdominal wall infections, shorter length of hospital stay, and quicker return to work and daily activities. Longer operating times have been shown to be offset by shorter hospital stays, with similar hospital costs overall.
Nevertheless, the laparoscopic approach requires a higher level of surgical technical expertise. Robotic systems were developed to address this issue by facilitating more ergonomic, easier to perform, and more precise movements. Several case series reports describe the use and value of robotic-assisted hysterectomy; and although they collectively fail to establish a clear speed advantage, they consistently demonstrate that patients who underwent robotic-assisted surgery did not incur any additional complications.
The literature contains no case series or randomized controlled trials that directly compare robotic-assisted and conventional laparoscopic hysterectomy techniques. This study will address this void, as well as provide a more comprehensive evaluation of the relative impact of robotic-assisted and traditional laparoscopic surgical methods.
3) A prospective cohort study to evaluate postoperative outcomes following a laparoscopic hysterectomy.
This is a prospective cohort study. Patients will not be blinded towards the removal of the cervix. Women who are scheduled to undergo a laparoscopic hysterectomy will be offered to participate in this study. All patients who are scheduled to undergo a laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign conditions will be offered to participate.
Exclusion criteria include: malignancy of the uterus, cervix or adnexa.
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