Minimal access surgery

Surgery has been an integral part of treatment in modern medical science. It is basically a procedure that opens up the body and removes or rectifies whatever is causing the problem. Usually a large surgical opening is made to permit access to the part of the body that needs surgical intervention. Nowadays open access surgery is being increasingly replaced by minimal access surgery or keyhole surgery, thanks to advances in technology. Minimal access surgery has many advantages to offer the patient over conventional surgical approaches. This type of surgery is also called laparoscopic surgery where the surgery involves the abdomen and pelvis.

Laparoscopic surgery

In the Laparoscopic surgery procedure, the surgeon inserts a laparoscope, which is a small camera fixed on a tube, that is inserted through a small incision, to visualize the internal organs. With the guidance of the camera, the surgeon repairs the hernia using synthetic mesh. Laparoscopes are of two types, a telescopic laparoscope and a digital laparoscope. Laparoscopic surgery is done to remove abnormal growths from the abdomen and pelvis. It is also useful to check for illnesses like endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, etc. Conditions causing infertility like cysts, fibroids, adhesions or infections can also be checked through laparoscopy. It is also used to do biopsies to check for the presence of carcinomas. Laparoscopic surgery can fix hiatal hernia and inguinal hernia and the surgeon can also do tubal ligation. It can find out the cause of sudden abdominal pain. The surgeon is able to use laparoscopic surgery to take out diseased organs like uterus, spleen, gallbladder, or appendix etc. The biggest advantage of doing these surgeries laparoscopically is that the patient’s stay in the hospital is shortened and the patient can in some cases be discharged the very next day.

Advantage of doing hernia surgery laparoscopically

Hernia surgery, in particluar has been revolutionized due to the advent of laparoscopic surgery. With open access surgery, there was almost always the side effect of chronic groin pain that the patient had to suffer through. Laparoscopic surgery has ensured tha this problem is eliminated. The time of postsurgical stay is also reduced greatly. The patient usually goes back to his activities of daily living in a short period of time compared to the open access surgery.

Keyhole surgery

Laparoscopic surgery is also called keyhole surgery because the access to the surgical site is through a small incision or “keyhole.” Keyhole surgery done to the thoracic area is called thoracoscopic surgery while laparoscopic surgery is done in the pelvis and the abdominal areas. Keyhole surgery is also found to be very effective in the treatment of colorectal cancers. These forms of minimal access surgeries have been quite effective in treating the patients and cutting down their hospital costs by reducing the recovery period and enabling patinets to get back t their daily routines in a much shorter period of time than the usual open access surgeries.

Use of LS and side effects

Laparoscopic surgery is used to alleviate the symptoms of a gamut of intestinal problems. These include diverticulitis, rectal prolapse, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, rectal prolapse, and severe constipation. Laparoscopic surgery has been found to be safe for the most part with side effects on rare occasions. In some cases, patients may experience pain that lasts for 24 hours, but after that, the pain comes down considerably.