HOPKINS TRANSPLANT SURGEONS REMOVE HEALTHY KIDNEY THROUGH DONOR’S VAGINA
I'm not really sure what the fascination with intravaginal laparoscopy is. At first, I guess it was kind of cool that we could take out an appendix without leaving a scar... except for that the scar is pretty minimal for laparoscopic appendectomies anyway. Now, I just feel like surgeons have this bizarre fascination with seeing what kinds of things we can pull out of a woman's body via her vagina.
It's not even like the size of a kidney is impressive. Women push 9-pound, 22" infants out of them all the time... so the size of a kidney - even an adult one - isn't all that impressive. It's all about traffic, and making sure that you don't cut any of the stuff between vagina and kidney.
Laparoscopy is strange to me anyway, because it feels very much like surgery via video games. The surgeon has toys and a camera, and the goal is to perform the surgery by snaking these instruments and a flashlight and a camera around via a very small incision. It's fine for an appendectomy, which is (I am told -- having no real basis for comparison yet) a relatively simple procedure.
But removing a kidney is a Big Deal. It's one where I want there to be a big incision - because that's how I can guarantee that my surgeon is being thorough. I'm not impressed by aesthetics here - there are vessels to redirect and tubes to tie. Your kidney gets 20% of your blood supply - I'd like to keep as much of that in me as I can, and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of an impaired view of what he/she is working with. I don't want any ruptured arteries, or nicked bowels (...ew).
Plus... if I'm giving a kidney away, I think that's a scar I would want, and one I would be okay with seeing.
That being said, my personal views on any such matter should not be taken into account when making medical decisions. I am generally okay with laparoscopy - it's a wonderful tool for many surgeries, especially gallbladder removal. Kidney removal is commonly done by laparoscopy, anyway... I'm just not wild about the idea of a kidney being removed via this point of access. I don't think that vaginas are disgusting... I just don't think that the aesthetic concerns here merit a scar "there," rather on your abdomen, and I don't like the idea of what would happen if there was a complication via that route of access.
That's all. I should really go to bed.
