Dr K.A. Molefi has extensive training and expertise in gynecological surgery. He specializes in a range of procedures, including hysterectomy, myomectomy, ovarian cystectomy, tubal ligation, and more. Dr K.A. Molefi has performed numerous successful surgeries, and always strives to provide the best possible outcome for our patients.
If you have been told that there is a need to investigate your condition, that would suggest your gynaecologist needs to perform a few diagnostic procedures, including colposcopy and hysteroscopy. He/she may, at the same time, perform surgery to treat your condition.
Why do I need a colposcopy?
If the findings from your Pap smear are concerning, your gynaecologist will perform a colposcopy to investigate for diseases inside your vulva, cervix and vagina. A colposcopy is often used to determine the cause of genital warts, cervicitis (cervical inflammation) and precancerous changes within your cervical, vaginal and vulva tissue.
What happens during a colposcopy?
A colposcopy is a quick twenty-minute in-office procedure. You lie face down, just as you would during a routine pelvic exam. Once you are relaxed, your gynaecologist will carefully insert a metal speculum inside your vagina to open up its walls so he can view the interior properly. Your doctor places a colposcope a few centimetres from the inside of your vagina and shines a light through the scope’s lens. A solution is applied to the area, which may cause a burning sensation but highlights any areas where suspicious cells lie. Any suspicious lesions may be collected for analysis.
Why do I need a hysteroscopy?
A hysteroscopy is a diagnostic procedure used to examine the interior of your uterus. A hysteroscope is a bendable tube with a light and video camera at its tip. Doctors use a hysteroscope to treat abnormal bleeding, remove polyps or fibroids and thick adhesions.
What happens during a hysteroscopy?
While you are under general anaesthetic, your doctor will dilate your cervix to ensure it is wide enough to insert a hysteroscope. Dr Molefi gently guides the instrument through the cervix into the uterus, where he inflates the area using a harmless gas that provides an expansive view of the area and clears mucous or blood. He shines a light through the hysteroscope’s lens to see inside your uterus and fallopian tubes and inserts instruments through the scope to remove abnormal tissue.
What other gynaecological surgeries are there?
With advanced gynaecological surgical techniques and modern-day equipment, surgeons can resolve numerous conditions affecting the uterus, cervix and vagina.
These gynaecological surgeries are:
- Cervical cryosurgery is the latest in gynaecological surgery and a suitable remedy for abnormal cervical cells that fail to heal. Using a cryoprobe, your doctor pumps nitrogen gas that flows over the suspicious tissue and freezes it. Something we refer to as an “ice-ball” forms over the cervical lining, killing precancerous cells slowly. Freezing happens over three minutes, after which the cells thaw and then the process is repeated for another three minutes.
- Dilation and curettage is a procedure whereby your gynaecologist uses a sharp tool known as a curette to dissect your uterine lining to test for precancerous conditions, endometrial hyperplasia and uterine polyps.
- Pelvic laparoscopy is a less invasive procedure that entails a tiny incision over your belly button. Your gynaecologist inserts a lighted scope, called a laparoscope, through this incision to remove tissue for testing, dissect your ovaries or restore your uterus to its previous state.
- Loop electrosurgical excision procedure/LEEPis used when the results of a Pap smear reflect abnormal cervical cells. A fine, electrically charged wire is used to sever precancerous tissue.
- Hysterectomy is a standard procedure to treat pain and heavy bleeding due to fibroids or endometriosis and stops the spread of ovarian, uterus and cervical cancer. Your doctor removes all or a portion of the uterus through an incision in the lower stomach or vagina. The extent of the cut depends on what procedure you undergo-either being a radical or partial hysterectomy.
