Alexis Dominguez MD

Alexis Dominguez MD: Robotic Hysterectomies Alexis Dominguez MD is a Board-certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist. He is presently a staff OB/GYN physician with Anthony Cardella, LLC, in Miami.

He attended the Universidad de Ciencias Medicas in San Jose, Costa Rica, where he received his Doctorate of Medicine and Surgery in 2006. He did his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital from 2008 to 2012.

One of his specialties is Minimally Invasive Gynecological surgery, such as hysterectomies, which he performs with the da Vinci Robotic System. "A hysterectomy is essentially a removal of the uterus," Alexis Dominguez MD explains. "Many symptoms can cause somebody to have a hysterectomy.

More common causes are fibroids, which are benign growth or tumors of the muscles of the uterus.

That's one of the most common causes for hysterectomies." Other, more serious reasons why a hysterectomy may be necessary include endometriosis and cancer.

There are different types of hysterectomies, explains Alexis Dominguez MD. A partial, subtotal or supracervical hysterectomy removes the upper part of the uterus, and leaves the cervix in place. A total hysterectomy removes both the uterus and the cervix, while a radical hysterectomy removes the entire uterus, the tissue on both sides of the cervix, and the upper part of the vagina. This is most commonly used when the patient has cancer.

There are different ways that a doctor can perform a hysterectomy, but Alexis Dominguez MD prefers the minimally invasive da Vinci Robotic System, in which he was trained. "We are able to see everything in 3-D," he says. "We have a better visualization of the procedure, of the actual anatomy around the area. A better visualization of the pelvis, and the structures that are within the pelvis."

Because the da Vinci Robotic System is minimally invasive, it leaves the patient with less scarring and often with a shorter recovery period. "Recovery time for a hysterectomy, for a robotic hysterectomy, is usually about four to six weeks, for the total recovery time. After the surgery the patients tend to be in the hospital between 24 to 48 hours, depending on how the patients do, and how they evolve through the postoperative period."

Before he became an OB/GYN, Alexis Dominguez MD trained in physical therapy at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam in The Netherlands. He also earned a degree in Exercise and Sports Medicine from Florida International University and for more than a year provided rehabilitation services to college athletes in the Florida International University Athletic Department.