«We always favour minimally invasive surgical methods. For example, with Sonata therapy for fibroids or transvaginal laser therapy for incontinence and dryness.»
Dr Jörg Humburg, Chief Physician, Bladder and Pelvic Floor Centre
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22. September 2022
Innovation in gynaecology
Bethesda Hospital in Basel offers a range of innovative treatment options in gynaecology. In this interview, Dr Jörg Humburg explains the benefits for female patients.
Gynaecology is a core competence of Bethesda Hospital. What makes gynaecology so special here?
Lots of things! We have various specialisations, such as in the field of urogynaecology. We
offer both conservative and surgical treatment methods, which are also supervised by our urotherapists.
We always favour minimally invasive surgical methods. In gynaecology, for example, we can offer Sonata therapy, a very innovative radio frequency method for the treatment of fibroids with bleeding disorders. We are currently in the process of introducing transvaginal laser therapy, which has already shown very good results in the treatment of genital atrophies.
What advantages do patients at Bethesda Hospital gain from these gentle procedures?
Minimally invasive procedures are generally less stressful for patients and the post-operative course is significantly shorter. Among other things, this means that our patients suffer less pain. Some treatments can even be performed on an outpatient basis and without anaesthetic.
Dr Jörg Humburg, Chief Physician, Bladder and Pelvic Floor Centre
What areas of application are possible for the laser therapy you mentioned?
We can use transvaginal laser therapy for problems with dry vaginal mucous membranes, for example in the post-menopause, or for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence. With these areas of application, however, we clearly differentiate ourselves from therapies in connection with vaginal tightening. Our primary range of applications is not cosmetic or aesthetic. Laser therapy can be a good alternative therapy if, for example, medication is intolerable or surgery is too stressful for patients. It is known that women experience significant relief or improvement in their symptoms after the first application of laser therapy. As a rule, this laser therapy is carried out four to six weeks apart and about three times. Positive effects are seen very early on, with women noticing an improvement in their sense of well-being.
You mentioned the innovative treatment option for fibroids. Who might be eligible for Sonata therapy?
Sonata therapy can generally be offered to all patients suffering from fibroids. Contraindications are pregnancies, pelvic infections and implants. The location of the fibroids could be a limitation in terms of effectiveness. The advantage of this therapy is that we can also use it to treat fibroids that require surgical treatment. Sonata therapy is a very precise and safe method in which we can locate and visualise fibroids with ultrasound guidance and ablate them under visualisation. This gives us a high degree of certainty that the radiofrequency energy used will reach the right place. Although this treatment method has been around for some time, it is now really starting to establish itself. Both the data and the success rate are very good!
What are the advantages of this incision-free method compared to traditional surgery?
I would put it the other way round. Surgical interventions entail risks and the resulting collateral damage can also be very high. For example, it can be difficult to reconstruct the uterus after a fibroid removal in such a way that fertility is maintained. It can also happen that fibroids are only partially removed during an operation, making follow-up operations necessary in the future.
Furthermore, Sonata therapy does not require any pre-treatment. It is a very good alternative to surgery. If women have symptoms due to fibroids, such as pain and heavy bleeding, the options to date have been to insert a hormone-containing coil or, as a next step, to undergo surgery and possibly even remove the uterus. Sonata therapy now comes between these two methods, so to speak, and offers very good effectiveness. We can therefore offer women a simple and effective treatment for troublesome fibroids.