Surgeon Urges
Others to Learn FTM Procedure

A prominent gynecologic cancer surgeon is urging fellow physicians to reconsider offering a medical procedure for transgender patients to aid in the transition from female to male. Kate O'Hanlan, MD, a surgeon in private practice in Portola Valley, Calif., provided evidence that total laparoscopic hysterectomy can be the best approach for many of these patients, the Rockway Institute announced in a press release.

"Transsexual patients face enormous barriers in life, and those continue into their medical treatment," O'Hanlan said in the statement. "They endure stigma and misunderstanding even when they go to their physicians for medical care."

O'Hanlan said that most hysterectomies are performed through large abdominal incisions or through the vagina, though the organ may not be strong enough to withstand the procedure. However in a laparoscopic hysterectomy, the uterus is removed through several small incisions in the abdomen. She said that total laparoscopic surgery is underutilized; 15% of hysterectomies are performed laparoscopically, and 5% are total laparoscopies. (The Advocate)