Greater Surgical Precision Scores a Triple Win

Patient Spotlight

By Rachel Kessler

At age 19, Sacramento-based Jessica was diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition which caused her intense pain – with devastating news from her doctor that she may never be able to get pregnant.

Endometriosis is a condition where uterine tissue is found outside the uterus, and causes lesions in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and supporting ligaments. These lesions shed like uterine tissue each month, causing debilitating pain when tissue cannot leave the body.

Infertility is among the most serious consequences of endometriosis, which affects around 89 million women globally, including 6.5 million in the United States and Canada, according to the Endometriosis Association.

Jessica had undergone 4 surgeries and countless medical procedures, when she began considering a hysterectomy to deal with searing pain that had forced her to stop competitive sports and interfered with daily life.

That’s when she came across Dr. Ali Parsa, a gynecologist at Mark Twain Medical Center. He operated on her using a specialized tool, called J-Plasma. This tool produces a cool stream of plasma for high-precision cutting and coagulation. Importantly, this significantly reduces the risk of damage to delicate structures such as Fallopian tubes when lesions are removed. Made by Bovie Medical, J-Plasma is 510(k) approved and configured in a range of needle and blade lengths for optimal access during procedures.

For Jessica, the surgical outcome was clear: she is now the mother of a baby boy, born August. She was able to resume competitive sports after surgery and most importantly, is completely pain-free.