WA public hospital breakthrough for women’s health

Gynaecologists Dr Lachlan Baxter and Dr Basil Lyngdoh.

In a breakthrough for women’s health, two female patients at Armadale Health Service (AHS) have become the first in a WA public hospital to have a hysterectomy without external incisions. These two patients are among 30,000 women in Australia who undergo laparoscopic surgery to remove reproductive organs every year.

Rather than an extended recovery, the patients were able to leave hospital the same day without scarring, pain or immobility. Another 20 patients at AHS are considered suitable for the surgery in the next six months. The surgery is less time-consuming than a traditional hysterectomy by about 40 minutes.

Gynaecologists at AHS performed the v-NOTES* surgery which allows them to enter through the vagina to remove the uterus, cervix and fallopian tubes, instead of laparoscopic cuts to the stomach. The surgeons involved – Gynaecologists Dr Basil Lyngdoh and Dr Lachlan Baxter – are both AMA (WA) members.

After 20 years of performing endoscopic procedures the traditional way, Dr Lyngdoh learnt about the new procedure at a medical conference overseas. He then travelled to Europe in June 2025 to work with Belgian doctor Jan Baekelandt, whom he regards as the “master” of this technique.

Both Dr Lyngdoh and Dr Baxter attended a workshop with Gynaecologist Dr Robyn Leake (also an AMA (WA) member) at Hollywood Private Hospital to learn from her experiences in completing this surgery in the private sector.

Dr Sangeeta Malla Bhat, Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at AHS, said the v-NOTES surgery was a relatively new procedure used around the world and now in Australia, and that the procedure is designed to leave no visible scarring and allows the patient to recover faster.

Dr Lyngdoh said the new technique gave surgeons magnified visibility of the reproductive organs, due to the specialist equipment used.

“We make no cuts in the tummy, and we do everything through the vagina. We put an airtight device that creates a seal so we can expand the abdomen. This allows us to see the structures we want to cut and remove,” he said.

Dr Baxter said it was very exciting to perform different techniques with new technology, resulting in improved outcomes for the patient and hospital.

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*v-NOTES stands for vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery.