Clinical Update
Newsletter Winter 2022
Clinical Update: Advances in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (MIGS)
The field of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (MIGS) is a rapidly growing sub-specialty, and at UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology we are dedicated to utilizing innovative and safe surgical techniques to handle complex patient care issues, providing our patients with access to surgical options with shorter recoveries and less overall risk of complication.
The Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at UCLA is now offering vNOTES (vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery), an advanced minimally invasive gynecologic surgery that combines the benefits of the laparoscopic and vaginal approaches to gynecologic surgery without visible skin incisions and allowing for faster recovery. Sukrant Mehta, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Ram Parvataneni, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology, performed the first two vNOTES procedures (an ovarian cystectomy and a bilateral salpingectomy) in Southern California.
Our newest faculty member, Daniel Ginn, DO, MPH, Clinical Instructor of UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology, will provide minimally invasive gynecologic treatment options for endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain.
UCLA Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (MIGS) Fellowship
In addition to our delivery of state-of-the art health care, we are committed to providing a robust and rigorous training ground for future physician-scientists. The UCLA Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (MIGS) Fellowship, fully accredited by the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL), provides a 2-year comprehensive training curriculum in advanced gynecologic endoscopy and minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. The UCLA MIGS Fellowship is led by program director Tamara Grisales, M.D., Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and associate program director Sukrant Mehta, M.D., Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Video >
We welcomed Kathryn Goldrath, MD, our inaugural Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery fellow, at the start of the 2021-22 academic year. Knowing she wanted to pursue an academic career, Dr. Goldrath was drawn to the UCLA MIGS fellowship program to have the opportunity to help grow the MIGS curriculum and enhance her surgical and medical acumen of complex benign gynecology from leaders in our department. She said, “Innovative trials for procedures such as vNOTES and technology such as Sonata® set the UCLA fellowship apart from other programs. It’s really amazing as a fellow to have exposure and training in these procedures and gain experience in the latest technological developments in gynecologic surgery, allowing me to expand my surgical repertoire.”
Dr. Goldrath is also gaining valuable experience by working with UCLA's unique multidisciplinary uterine fibroid program, rotating through other sub-specialties such as Gynecologic Oncology and FPMRS, and having access to a state-of-the art simulation center for MIGS surgical training, a clinical and translational science institute, and a robust women’s health research unit. She is taking advantage of collaboration opportunities across the UCLA campus for her current research project, working with Dr. Malcolm Munro, Clinical Voluntary Professor of UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology and a cofounder and current Chair of the FIGO Menstrual Disorders Committee, and Dr. Steven Raman, Professor of Radiology and an expert in abdominal and pelvic imaging, to validate the system used for classifying fibroids. She also has a special interest in resident education and is helping to create a standardized robotic curriculum for trainees as well as MIGS focused anatomy labs and simulations. Dr. Goldrath anticipates the completion of her fellowship in June 2023.