TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa General Hospital (TGH)’s Women’s Institute has been recognized as a Center of Excellence for complex endometriosis. The condition is where tissue grows outside of the uterus, it can impact other organs and cause infertility.

What You Need To Know

  • Tampa General Hospital (TGH)’s Women’s Institute has been recognized as a Center of Excellence for complex endometriosis care

  • The TGH and USF Health team has been making advancements in diagnosis and surgery

  • Dr. Emad Mikhail, medical director of gynecology at TGH and USF Health, recently received accreditation as a master surgeon in complex endometriosis care — one of four in the nation

Ashley Maddox, 34, suffered with extreme pain for three years before learning endometriosis was the culprit.

“It was a horrible nightmare, the constant pain, daily pain, daily obstacles, hard to work, hard to spend time with my family, hard to spend time with my husband,” she said. “I missed out on a lot of activities and family functions because I was too sick to attend.”

Maddox says she went to five physicians but went undiagnosed and untreated for three years. She finally got that diagnosis at TGH.

Dr. Emad Mikhail, medical director of gynecology at TGH and USF Health, performed a minimally invasive surgery. The associate professor of OBGYN at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine has presented research from around the world on how his team has developed new techniques in early diagnosis and surgery.

Mikhail recently received accreditation as a master surgeon in complex endometriosis care — one of four in the nation.

“Using laparoscopic or robotic intraoperative ultrasound that our center was the first one to publish on to delineate the depth of endometriosis invading different organs,” explained Mikhail of the robotic ultrasound, which he says can help doctors see the depth of disease.

“When the surgeon is operating, they’re scanning at the same time, seeing the lesion in real time and deciding how we want to get this lesion out,” added Mikhail.

Lesions invading much of Maddox’s abdomen were removed, relieving years of pain.

“I have my life back, I’m so excited to be doing what I love,” said she said.

Maddox is excited to be walking her favorite trail in Lakeland and looks ahead to the future.

“We are currently actually going through IVF, so we’re excited within the next couple of months to start that process and we’re hopeful and we’re excited,” said Maddox. She hopes sharing her story helps other women.