Appendix removed through vagina in groundbreaking operation

An American woman has had her inflamed appendix removed through her vagina, in a groundbreaking operation that left her with no scarring and minimal pain.

The patient, Diana Schlamadinger, who is in her 20s, said that the 50-minute procedure had left her with no discomfort, rating her level of post-operative pain as “a 1 or a 0.5” on a scale of one to ten.

During the surgery, doctors at the University of California San Diego Medical Centre, excised Ms Schlamandinger's appendix using an endoscope inserted through a tiny incision in her vaginal wall.

Only one small external incision, in her navel, was needed to insert a 2mm camera into the abdominal cavity to guide the surgical instruments.

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I thought this had to be a joke when I saw the title. It's truly amazing what they're doing in the fields of Science and Medicine today.

[edit on 4/3/08 by LLoyd45]

Cool news. I remember when I had my appendix out it was done arthroscopicly and I was still pretty uncomfortable for a week.

This is a nice breakthrough for women. But what about those of us with no vagina?