Laparoscopic surgery has gained popularity and acceptance among surgeons and patients over the past few years, primarily because it is a minimally invasive surgical procedure with less pain and recovery is much faster than open surgery. In the past, laparoscopic surgery was limited to gynecologic and gall bladder surgeries, but it is now the preferred technique for intestinal surgery.
What is Laparoscopic Surgery?
Laparoscopic surgery is a specialized, keyhole technique for performing surgery using small incisions (as opposed to an open surgery) with less pain and minimal scarring. The surgery gets its name from the laparoscope, a slender device that has a camera and light at its end, that is used to diagnose a condition or to perform a minimally invasive surgery for issues including appendicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, certain cancers, repairing of hernias or stomach ulcers, surgeries like hysterectomy, rectopexy, fundoplication (esophageal anti-reflux surgery), removal of cysts, fibroids, stones, or polyps, treatment of ectopic pregnancies, or weight loss surgeries.
Advantages of Laparoscopic Surgery
Laparoscopic surgical procedures enjoy many benefits over traditional open surgery, making them the more popular choice among surgeons and patients alike.
- Laparoscopic surgery causes less trauma to the insides of the body as it is minimally invasive.
- Smaller incisions mean that there is less amount of blood loss during the surgery, lowering the risk of hemorrhage during the procedure.
- During diagnosis and surgery, only a few incisions are made, and each incision is small so there is less scarring and risk of infection.
- The procedure takes a shorter duration of time, followed by a shorter hospital stay, and faster recovery time.
- Since there is less pain during the healing period, reducing the need for pain medication.
Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery
Advanced laparoscopic surgery refers to more complex surgical procedures that involve higher levels of skill and precision, intricate technique and highly specialized tools. While laparoscopic surgery is in itself a challenging procedure to complete, advanced laparoscopic surgery is considered more difficult to perform because it is usually conducted on more challenging anatomical areas and involves higher risk. Robotic assistance and 3D laparoscopy may be used in advanced laparoscopic procedures to enable higher precision in complex procedures like pancreatic surgery, appendectomy, colorectal and gynecological surgeries, vagotomy, cardiomyotomy, or intricate pelvic reconstruction surgery