Miller School Gynecologic Surgeon Demonstrates “No-Touch” Technique For International Conference

Medical techniques are constantly advancing, making it vital for experts to disseminate refinements as rapidly as possible. Jose Carugno, M.D., a gynecologic surgeon at the University of Miami who specializes in minimally invasive techniques, recently live cast an advanced procedure to the 2021 American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) annual meeting.

Before an audience of thousands comprising meeting attendees in Austin, Texas, and many more participating digitally around the world, Dr. Carugno performed a ‘no-touch’ hysteroscopy in a University of Miami Health System operating suite. During the procedure, he located and removed uterine polyps in a woman with postmenopausal bleeding.

In traditional hysteroscopy, the speculum, with its duck bill shape, is used to open a patient’s vaginal walls, while the tenaculum, which resembles scissors with curved tips, holds the cervix. Both devices are known to cause discomfort, making the no-touch approach, which requires neither, a major advance.

“The non-invasive, ‘no-touch’ vaginoscopic procedure we demonstrated minimizes the impact on a woman’s uterus and is almost pain-free,” said Dr. Carugno, who directs the Gynecology Minimally Invasive Surgery and Robotics Division within the Miller School’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “So, it is easily tolerated by patients in an office setting without the need for anesthesia.

Hysteroscopy places a tiny camera inside the uterus to identify and address causes of uterine issues such as polyps, fibroids, malignant tumors, and other women’s health issues. In some cases, the procedure can alleviate the need for a far more invasive hysterectomy, which removes the uterus entirely.

“Performing the ‘no-touch’ procedure at what is probably the world’s most important annual meeting for gynecologic endoscopy elevates the technique to a new level and was a real honor,” Dr. Carugno noted. “I hope my demonstration helps to popularize the approach among gynecologic surgeons and will help many more women avoid the pain of a traditional hysteroscopy.”

Tags: American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, Dr. Jose Carugno, Hysteroscopy, Obstetrics and gynecology