More and more young doctors are choosing gynecology at Mama and Me to work, study, and develop

The gynecology department, headed by Dr. Alexander Lyubenov, is one of the fastest growing structures at Mama and Me, according to the results reported on the occasion of its third anniversary.

Since its opening in 2022, more than 4,000 patients have been treated. More than 3,800 surgical procedures have been performed, 85% of which were minimally invasive. More than 450 robot-assisted surgeries have been performed, including total and radical hysterectomies, surgeries preserving reproductive function in women with cancer (radical trachelectomy), pelvic lymph node dissection, myomectomy, and cystectomy, as well as surgery for genital prolapse.

The team

The department’s vision is built by a young, qualified, and motivated team that strives daily to improve its expertise and provide high-quality medical care. There are six specialists working in the department, six residents, and 12 midwives. The unit is a preferred place for the development of young doctors and healthcare specialists because it performs the full range of gynecological surgery, including laparoscopic and robot-assisted surgery, open surgery, vaginal surgery, the entire range of urogynecological surgery, and correction of static gynecological diseases (using mesh and meshless techniques). Dr. Alexander Lyubenov, MD, Dr. Atanas Alexandrov, and Dr. Desislava Kiprova, MD, are certified to work with da Vinci and, in addition to their surgical work, provide ongoing training for young doctors.

High-tech equipment

Medical equipment is a key factor behind the excellent postoperative results. The department has two robotic systems – Da Vinci X and Da Vinci Xi. The indisputable advantages of robot-assisted surgery are greater precision, better visualization, less blood loss, and faster recovery. This makes it the preferred method for patients with benign gynecological neoplasms with a BMI (Body Mass Index) above 35.0 kg/m2, as well as for proven malignant gynecological diseases.

The department’s arsenal is complemented by the Rubina laparoscopic system, which provides the highest image quality with 4K resolution, a 3D image, and the option of using infrared filters to visualize the fluorescent dye indocyanine green (ICG). Surgical procedures with Rubina allow the surgeon to perform highly complex interventions, dissection of anatomical areas, detection and removal of sentinel lymph nodes, as well as reduced intraoperative blood loss. The system is used daily to perform laparoscopic hysterectomies, myomectomies, cystectomies, and correction of static disorders.

The latest technological addition is the Biolitec laser. The advantages of using it are greater precision, thus preserving reproductive capacity, especially in women with endometriosis. In the gynecology department, laser surgery is used to perform a number of minimally invasive procedures, including the removal of endometriotic cysts, pelvic adhesions, and myoma nodes. It is also effective in the treatment of mild, moderate, and severe forms of cervical dysplasia. Hysteroscopy is an integral part of daily surgical practice. The department has a full range of hysteroscopic equipment, including a Bigatti shaver and two bipolar resectoscopes.

With their help, under visual control, formations from the uterine cavity and cervical canal are removed.

Scientific research

The team focuses both on surgical activities and on the creation and development of scientific research. One of the latest achievements of the gynecology department is the recognition of “Heart and Brain” as a training center of the European Society of Gynecological Endoscopy (ESGE) with five certified instructors from the team. Over the past year, five courses have been held under the auspices of the GESEA Educational Programme, attended by a total of 30 doctors from various surgical specialties. The team actively participates in a number of Bulgarian and international congresses.

Since 2024, Dr. Atanas Alexandrov has been a member of the ESGE advisory board, and at the association’s last congress in Marseille, he moderated two of the scientific sessions and was a mentor in one of the certification sessions in the GESEA training program.

We provide high-quality and accessible gynecological care, prevention and early diagnosis of gynecological diseases, improvement of women’s reproductive health, and continuous professional development of our team.