Accredited centres?

[merlin19]

Hi,

I've noticed a lot of mention about people having to travel to certain centres for their laps, and also a list of the accredited centres has been posted up. I am awaiting the details of when my lap will be but as far as I know it is going to be at the local hospital (private, but i'm there through NHS) where I had a quick consultation after referral by my GP - the thing is it's not on the list of BSGE centres, is this a problem? Has any one else been treated elsewhere, and is there any difference in what to expect?

Thanks!

[Impatient]

It depends what you need them for, my surgery wasn't at an accredited endo centre but my surgeon was experienced in endo. The endo aspects of my surgery were dealt with. i also needed work on my bowel - which wasn't done.

I had a laparotomy (big hole op) done by an gynae oncology surgeon.

An endo centre is where you have access to a team of endo experienced surgeons, gynaecology, colorectal and urology, and pain clininicians too.

If you have severe endo requiring surgery this is where you will get access to a dedicated team to handle your case because you will in all likelyhood need more than one type of surgeon depending on where your deep growing endo is situated.

If you are having a first lap op, there's no need for an endo centre as most gynaecologists have the necessary surgical skills to carry out a diagnostic lap,

they can also work on minimal and mild endo cases too.

but the moderate and severe ones would normally be forwarded on to an endo centre if the work needed is beyond the training and experience of the regular gynaecologist and they discover at your lap that things are a lot more advanced in there than they first expected.

There's little way to know how bad things are inside, until they have a look.

The vast majority of endo ladies are minimal and mild cases and easily dealt with in the one initial lap op.

Only 10% of surgeries for endo will involve cysts, and 3% have the deep infiltrating endo that requires a multidisciplinary surgical team.

The ladies that are needing referral to the endo centres will be the ones with a history of unsatisfactory treatment by regular gynaecologists for what is actually deep endo being inadequately treated as shallow endo on previous occasions, and anyone identified with POD endo sealed up by adhesions, endo in the bowel, or bladder or lungs for example.

These surgeries are the most complex of the gynae surgeries and should be being handled by endo centres. You may be told after the lap op that this is required, or you may find they found and removed all the existing endo during the lap.

[Lilly83]

Hello

I had my done at my local hospital by an endo specialist, I had extensive stage 4 including bladder, bowel, pod, ureters, sacrial ligaments, 2 blocked tubes with hydro, everything stuck together and and several cysts 1 being 18cm, my 2nd lap was 6 hour long and I know a lot would written me off saying u needed a hyst or at least done a laparotomy, but he did the whole lot himself (I had a diagnostic 3 months earlier) he deared me endo free and even did total peritoneal excision. It was never mentioned me going to an endo centre but I was more than happy with my experience at the hospital, my Drs a wonderful man x

[merlin19]

Thank you both, that's cleared things up! It's all a bit new to me and just trying to make sure I know as much as possible beforehand.

Thanks