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Click here to go back to Step 2: Preparation
We enter the operating room, where Dr. C prepares her instruments --
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-- Barbie is fastened to the table, and it is angled downwards, to keep the surrounding organs out of the way during the surgery -- |
And the incision is made in the middle, lower abdomen... |
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Here, Dr. C looks for the "white line" where she can enter the abdomen --
-- the white line is tissue between the muscles, and it is the least invasive point of entry --
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After the inner incision, she is in the abdomen -- |
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-- next, to find the uterus horn --
-- and for that, she uses the hooked instrument shown --
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The uterus is located and is brought through the incision --
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Here, the bifurcation of the uterus is shown --
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And the ovary is finally found -- |
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The ovary is isolated, and the ovarian ligament and blood vessels are securely ligatured --
-- this is done on each side --
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Here's a look at the ligatures tying off the ovaries -- |
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The other side is removed... |
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Both ovaries and their respective "horns" are carefully pulled outside the incision -- |
They both connect distally to the body of the uterus --
-- quite a miracle, in a way, how small the uterus is here, and how large and functional it is to providing life --
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Dr. remarks at the large size of the uterine artery -- |
... and the body of the uterus below the uterine horns is isolated, with ligatures placed around the blood vessels and the uterus -- |
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Just a quick reality check here --
-- as you can see, little Barbie is cool as a cucumber -- unknowingly -- !!
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Next, the uterus is severed from the surrounding vessels... |
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... and the hysterectomy is complete -- here are the ovaries, uterine horns, and uterus -- |
Now to clean everything up -- |
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-- first, the abdominal wall is sutured -- |
... and then the tissue beneath the skin and above the abdomen are sutured, resulting in subcutaneous sutures right beneath the skin --
-- mind you, these sutures eventually dissolve and are carried away in the bloodstream --
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-- and finally, external sutures are started -- |
... and are quickly completed --
-- with that, we're DONE, Barbie-girl -- !!
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Click here to go to Step 4: Post-op
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