Doctors Confirm First Successful Essure Tubal Ligation Reversal

Lakeshore Surgical Center made medical history less than one year ago by being the first facility to perform an Essure Tubal Occlusion Reversal. The Essure procedure is a new type of Tubal Ligation, for women who want a permanent type of birth control or sterilization. The Essure procedure has only been performed for a little over 5 years and is reported to be permanent and NOT reversible by the manufacturing company. On November 5, 2007 Dr. William A.C. Greene Jr. and Dr. Wendell Turner at Lakeshore Surgical Center, were the first surgeons in the country to perform an Essure Reversal.

The Essure procedure differs from other Tubal Ligation due to the fact that a coil-like device is inserted into the fallopian tube where it meets the uterus. Scar tissue then grows around the inserted coil over the next 3 months to form a natural barrier that prevents sperm from reaching the egg. To reverse this procedure the doctors at Lakeshore Surgical Center developed specific instruments to allow for the Essure coil-like device to be removed with the utmost of care, and not damage the fallopian tube. Then a custom needle, designed by Dr. William Greene is used to sew the tube back into the wall of the uterus without cutting the uterus open.

The success of the procedure was confirmed October 8, 2008, by a patient who came to Lakeshore Surgical Center in March, 2008, to be one of the first women in the country to have the Essure Reversal performed by expert tubal ligation reversal surgeons, Dr. William Greene Jr. and Dr. Wendell Turner. The first Essure Reversal pregnancy has been confirmed by the patient's physician, by ultrasound and the fetal sac was seen in the uterus.

This medical procedure is a huge stepping stone in the medical field of Reproductive Surgery and Infertility. Tubal Ligation Reversals have been performed for years, but the Essure procedure, which is stated to be non-reversible, has not been successfully reversed before now. Women who want to have more children, due to divorce, loss of a child or have just changed their mind, Tubal Reversal is an option. This advance in Reproductive Surgery will allow women to be able to conceive naturally, after having the Essure procedure. In-Vitro Fertilization and other infertility treatments are no longer the only option for women who have made this choice and changed their mind.

To date Lakeshore Surgical Center has performed 4 Essure Reversals, including the case above who is now pregnant. Of these three other patients, one has yet to become pregnant, another did have a confirmed pregnancy but miscarried and the third patient has not yet become pregnant but has been seen by another physician, who confirmed through a Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) that her tubes were open.

Lakeshore Surgical Center is the leading specialized Tubal Ligation Reversal center. Located in Gainesville, GA, surgeons Dr. William A.C. Greene, Jr. and Dr. Wendell Turner have combined 50 years of outpatient gynecologic surgery experience and have performed thousands of Tubal Ligation Reversals. For 10 years, this cutting edge facility, along with the skills and expertise of its doctors and staff have provided women with the opportunity to become "pregnant again".

Hydrosalpinx

A leading consequence of infertility in women is fallopian tube blockage. A blockage can be caused by a number of reasons, one of which is fluid retention forming a hydrosalpinx(see picture). A hydrosalpinx is a swollen, sausage-shaped blocked fallopian tube which is often the result of a past tubal infection. When injury causes the end of the fallopian tube to close up, glands within it produce a watery fluid which fills up the tube. Although this watery fluid generally poses no harm to the body, studies conducted on women who had undergone in vitro fertilization have shown that this substance is somewhat toxic to implanted embryos. The women with hydrosalpinges had significantly lower chances for a successful pregnancy as compared with those who had their hydrosalpinges removed prior to implantation.The failure of the in vitro attempts at pregnancy is seen to be rooted on the spillage of the hydrosalpinx fluid into the uterine cavity which houses the implanted embryo. The fluid could dislodge the embryos or kill them thereby resulting in a miscarriage.

In the presence of an infection, the body is often able to naturally fight back and heal itself. However, scar formation may result and cause injured tissues to stick together which is the case in a hydrosalpinx. The injured fimbriae (fingerlike projections at the end of the fallopian tube near the ovary) seal up through adhesions from the scarring brought about by an infection(see picture). Both fallopian tubes are often affected when infection is present. However, a hydrosalpinx is usually seen only in one tube with the other tube left with abnormalities. This is the reason why women with only one hydrosalpinx can also experience infertility.

Hydrosalpinges can be caused by a number of infections and two of the most common are Gonorrhea and Chlamydia both of which are sexually transmitted diseases. Generally speaking, sexually transmitted diseases are the more likely culprits when hydrosalpinges occur. However, they are not the only causes. Any form of injury to the fallopian tube tissues can result to a hydrosalpinx. Some other causes for the formation of a hydrosalpinx are ectopic pregnancies, abortions, miscarriages, abdominal surgeries and endometriosis. These conditions can damage or affect the fallopian tubes and the resulting scar adhesions can likewise seal up the tubes.A hydrosalpinx is often seen to form after pelvic inflammation which can be caused by a number of reasons. Pelvic inflammation, are also often caused by infections and can also result from sexually transmitted diseases. However, other causes exist, including fungal or yeast infections as well as infections from the usage of intrauterine devices. A hydrosalpinx can occur in any woman and the chances of occurrence will increase in the presence of infection-causing microorganisms and/or, injury to the fallopian tubes or to the tissues near them. Unfortunately, it is rarely diagnosed early -if diagnosed at all -because the symptoms are generally mild and some women even experience no symptoms at all. The physical discomforts from the condition are often mistaken to be symptoms of bladder infection or bowel problems.

In mild cases fertility may be restored by opening the tube surgically, otherwise IVF is the treatment of choice. There is some evidence that hydrosalpinx reduces the success rate of IVF and increases the risk of mscarriage. For this reason, some doctors may advise removing, or occluding the hydrosalpinx before the IVF treatment.