A method of dissecting tissue from a vagina includes preparing a patient for surgery, and providing a vaginal manipulator having a head attached to a shaft and a door that is hinged to the head. The method includes inserting the head of the vaginal manipulator into a natural opening of a vagina of the patient, pivoting the door relative to the hinge, and displacing a posterior wall of the vagina for access by a surgeon. The method includes dissecting recto-vaginal tissue away from an exterior surface of the posterior wall of the vagina.
