Comanche County Memorial Hospital’s OB-GYN clinic is the only place in southwest Oklahoma offering a new procedure that provides relief for women suffering from uterine fibroids. Dr. Jose Meza, the Chief of OB at CCMH, said it’s called the Acessa procedure. It’s a minimally invasive and uterine-sparing treatment alternative.
“It allows us to treat the fibroids without making an incision into the uterus,” he said. “We are using radiofrequency to ablate the fibroids to get the fibroids to shrink up on their own. It can get them to shrink up, gets them to go away, and keep them from having to have a hysterectomy.”
Dr. Meza said they’re one of only three hospitals in Oklahoma offering it.
“It is a minimally invasive treatment for fibroids,” he said. “Fibroids are one of the most common reasons that patients come to see us. They can cause pain and bleeding issues.”
He said fibroids tend to run in families. 70 to 80 percent of women will experience uterine fibroids by the age of 50.
“I would say about 1/2 of patients who have heavy bleeding to pelvic pain issues have uterine fibroids,” Dr. Meza said.
Dr. Meza said many people find out they have it after visiting their OB-GYN or after going to their primary care doctor about their symptoms. He said they’re excited to have this new procedure, but still have the option to use their Da Vinci surgical robot to remove fibroids, or perform hysterectomies and myomectomies as needed. It’s all about giving women more options.
“A hysterectomy obviously solves the problem,” Dr. Meza said. “You get rid of the uterus, and you get rid of the problem, but there are many patients who are not ready for that because maybe they’re still wanting to have children. Maybe the fibroids are interfering with their ability to have children.”
He said the benefits of Acessa include returning home from the hospital on the same day of the procedure, lower blood loss compared to hysterectomy, and a quicker recovery time. Patients can return to work in four to five days.
“If it’s something they think that fits them, they know that they’re not ready for a hysterectomy, and they want some other treatment option, and they’ve just been told ‘this is something you have to live with. It’s not cancer. Eventually, menopause will come.’ Well, if they want some sort of other treatment option but aren’t ready for a hysterectomy, this is something they can acquire about,” he said.
Dr. Meza said you can call CCMH’s OB-GYN clinic, or your primary care doctor, to get a referral for this procedure. He says they’ll then do an evaluation to make sure you’re a candidate for Acessa.