Mark Your Calendars!5th Annual Workshop on Laparoscopic, Vaginal, and Robotic Hysterectomy With Intensive, Hands-On Laparoscopic Suturing December 5-6, 2013 General Chair: Farr Nezhat, MD For Registration and Additional Information,
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Dr. Farr Nezhat Reports on 4th Annual Hands-On Laparoscopy Workshop As the General Chair for the 4th Annual Workshop on Video Assisted Laparoscopy & Robotic Hysterectomy with Intensive Hands-on Laparoscopic Suturing, held in New York City, December 7-8, 2012, I want to thank the faculty, proctors, industry partners, and our sponsor, AAGL, for all of their dedicated efforts to make this workshop a success. I am pleased to report, on behalf of my Scientific Program Co-Chairs, Drs. Camran Nezhat and Ceana Nezhat, that some of the finest educators in our field addressed a wide range of methods to overcome barriers in the art and science of minimally invasive gynecology. In addition to the invited lecturers two live surgical procedures were performed: a “Mini-Video Laparoscopy” by Dr. Fabio Ghezzi from A.O. Ospedale di Circolo e Fondazione Macchi in Varese, Italy and a “Robotic-Assisted Hysterectomy” by Dr. William Burke from Valley Health Hospital, Newark, New Jersey. The enthusiastic response to these surgeries was evident by the attendance in the general meeting room. Every seat was taken and a robust discussion followed both events. The workshop attracted physicians from 15 different countries, including Australia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, England, Denmark, Korea, Mexico, Pakistan, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey and the USA. This meeting was unique in that it allowed attendees their own suturing pelvic trainer where they worked under the guidance of a proctor for up to 5 hours per day. There were also robotic labs for individual instruction. The highlight for the attendees was the ability to come back to the lab after 7:00 pm for additional instruction as needed.
The hands-on experience would not have been possible without the exceptional support of our industry sponsors and I would like to acknowledge that we received educational grants and equipment (in-kind) from the following companies: 3-Dmed, CareFusion, Covidien, Inc., Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., Ethicon Women’s Health & Urology, Intuitive Surgical, Mimic Technologies, Karl Storz Endoscopy-America, Inc., and Teleflex. In addition, we had a full exhibit hall with the following companies present: Baxter Biosurgery, Conmed, Cooper Surgical, Covidien Surgical Devices, Ethicon/Biosurgery, Hologic, Lina Medical, Lumenis, Plasma, Karl Storz, Surgiquest, Teleflex, Vectec, and Richard Wolf. The evaluation data indicates that 96% of the attendees expressed that the course was helpful with patient selection, determining appropriate surgical instruments, and improving their knowledge of anatomy. In addition, 78% stated that the course helped improve their laparoscopic skills and increased exposure to new innovations while 22% stated that before this course they could not do intracorporeal knot tying. Although the meeting was only two days in length, many of the attendees took this opportunity to stay the weekend and enjoy the sights and sounds of the holiday season in New York City. We encourage you to mark your calendars now so that you do not miss this exceptional meeting in 2013, which will take place on December 5 and 6 in New York City. Keep your eye on gynlaparoscopyrobotic.com as additional details are published. For a recap of the course description from 2012, click here.
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Division of Minimally-Invasive Robotic and Laparoscopic Gynecologic Surgery
In the Division of Minimally-Invasive Robotic and Laparoscopic Gynecologic Surgery (MIGS Division) in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals, we offer a wide range of minimally-invasive surgical treatments for gynecologic problems. These new treatments are as safe and effective as their traditional counterparts requiring a major incision, and come with a host of advantages: less scarring, shorter hospital stay and recovery time, and fewer potential complications.
MIGS Division Director Farr Nezhat, MD, FACOG, is a nationally and internationally-known innovator who has developed a host of minimally-invasive techniques. He is a board-certified gynecologic oncologist with a special focus on the treatment of cancer of the uterus, cervix, and ovary, as well as complex ovarian cysts. Dr. Nezhat is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and also, an adjunct professor at SUNY-Stony Brook School of Medicine. For years, he has directed a minimally-invasive surgery fellowship training program, helping young gynecologists to become specially qualified to perform the new techniques.
The associate physician-surgeons of the MIGS Team are experienced, board-certified obstetrician-gynecologists who have completed fellowship training in minimally-invasive surgery with Dr. Nezhat. In addition, up to three of the MIGS Fellows, all obstetrician-gynecologists, may be working with him and the associate surgeons at any time.
Nezhat Brothers Shed New Light on Ancient Disease, Endometriosis
Endometriosis has affected women for millennia, its symptoms sometimes causing them to fall to the ground and writhe with pain. In this disease, tissue that is similar to uterine lining grows outside of the uterus, building up and then bleeding with every menstrual cycle. Besides extreme pain, endometriosis can cause infertility, entanglements among various abdominal organs, and many other problems. This perplexing illness can only be definitively diagnosed surgically. Because such approaches were not practical until relatively recently, doctors and scientists have alternately understood and misunderstood endometriosis over the course of history. While the ancient Greeks and Romans had an incomplete but generally-correct understanding of the disorder, that knowledge was lost in the Middle Ages, when suffering women were often blamed and labeled as witches, lascivious, hysterical, deranged, or possessed by demons. The long and fascinating story has just been captured by 
Gynecological Surgeons Camran, Farr, and Ceana Nezhat, in their 62-page article, “Endometriosis: ancient disease, ancient treatments,” published online in Fertility and Sterility on November 1, and available in the journal’s print edition in December. Research for this work took Camran Nezhat, MD, and his brothers five years, including visits to major medical libraries throughout the US, perusal of newly-digitized medical literature from Google Books, and tracing of the historical record outside of medicine to arts and culture.
A Priest Healing a Possessed Woman, Artist Pierre Boaistuau, 1566. Courtesy U.S. National Library of Medicine
Photo: Authors Farr Nezhat, MD; Camran Nezhat, MD; and Ceana Nezhat, MD
Download the PDF to read the full article: Endometriosis Ancient Disease Ancient Treatments (pdf)