Check Your Health: New hysteroscopy camera
(KUTV) A new camera at Utah Valley Hospital is allowing women to remain in the doctor's office instead of having to visit the operating room.
One of the common problems Dr. Steven Grover sees at the Utah Valley Women's Center is patients who come in with abnormal bleeding. He's always trying to figure out what's the cause of the bleeding so patients can move on from the problem.
The first step is figuring out whether the cause is something in the uterus. To check for that, doctors are now using a small camera.
"Right here in our exam room, in our office, we can go ahead and put this up inside the uterus and see if there's some anatomic cause for the abnormal bleeding that the patient is having," explains Dr. Grover.
Previously, an exploratory procedure like this would have had to be done in the operating room; but since the camera is so small, it can now be done in an office setting.
One thing that can cause abnormal bleeding is a growth inside the uterus like a fibroid or a polyp or even uterine cancer. If a growth is found, then the patient may need surgery. However, if everything looks normal then it may be something doctors are able to treat with hormones and avoid the operating room altogether.
Dr. Grover says, so far, the response from patients has been extremely positive.
"One of my patients said, 'Wow, it's just like a GoPro for my uterus," says Dr. Grover.