Facing surgery a half-century ago was a much riskier proposition because most procedures were open — meaning the surgeon had to make larger incisions for manual and visual access.
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Today, doctors’ hands and eyes are helped and enhanced by cutting edge technology, including lighted cameras and specialized tools that allow unprecedented accuracy and less collateral damage for most common surgeries.
In fact, of the 40 million-50 million surgical procedures performed each year in the United States, minimally invasive techniques like laparoscopy are more the rule than the exception, which is great news for patients.
At Rockwall Surgical Specialists, our highly skilled and experienced team of general surgeons is well versed in laparoscopic surgery. Here, we share why this approach is the gold standard.
As we described briefly, laparoscopy is a technique in which we use a lighted, high-definition camera as our eyes and specialized tools as our hands. This technology means we only need to make small incisions, through which we thread the surgical equipment.
Then, using a monitor to visualize the surgical site, we can perform the procedure using tools that accurately translate the movement of our hands in small spaces.
We use this approach for most of the surgeries we perform, such as colon surgery, appendectomies, weight loss surgery, gallbladder surgery, and hernia repairs, to name just a few.
One of the bigger benefits of laparoscopic surgery is our ability to reduce collateral tissue damage during your procedure. For example, if we want to perform a hernia repair, instead of making an incision across your lower abdomen that cuts through muscles, skin, and other soft connective tissues, we make only a few small incisions that are less than an inch.
Then, using these tiny incisions, we thread our instruments through in a way that minimizes disturbance of surrounding organs and tissues.
Because the incisions are small and collateral damage is kept to a minimum, there’s also far less bleeding with laparoscopic surgery than there is with open surgery. And because the incisions aren’t large, there’s a lower risk of infection.
With laparoscopy, we’ve been able to greatly reduce hospital stays, and even eliminate them in many cases. For example, of the more than 1.6 million hernia repairs performed in the US each year, many are done on an outpatient basis, which means no hospital stay at all.
This scenario certainly plays out with our laparoscopic surgeries, and we’re able to get you back to the comforts of your own home in less time than we could with open surgeries.
As you might imagine, each benefit that we’ve covered leads to one great conclusion — laparoscopy significantly reduces recovery time. Our goal is to make your surgical journey as smooth as possible, and laparoscopy is key to these efforts.
If you have more questions about laparoscopy and whether it makes sense for your surgical needs, please contact Rockwall Surgical Specialists. We have locations in Rockwall, Rowlett, Greenville, Terrell, and Forney, Texas, for your convenience.
Laparoscopy is a type of surgery that gets its name from the laparoscope, a slender tool that has a tiny video camera and light on the end. When a surgeon inserts it through a small cut into your body, they can look at a video monitor and see what’s happening inside you. Without those tools, they’d have to make a much larger opening. Thanks to special instruments, there’s less cutting, and your surgeon doesn’t have to reach into your body, either.
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Keyhole surgery
Laparoscopic surgery is used in the abdominal and pelvic areas. It is sometimes called keyhole surgery because a surgeon uses two to four small cuts, which are usually no more than a half-inch long, in your belly or pelvic area. Then they use flexible tubes to insert a lighted video camera and special tools into your body.
Laparoscopy vs. laparotomy
Before the laparoscopic method came along, a surgeon who operated on your belly or pelvic area had to do open surgery called laparotomy, where a 6- to 12-inch-long cut was made through the abdominal wall. This larger opening gave the surgeon enough room to see what they were doing and reach whatever they had to work on inside your body.
Laparoscopy is known as a minimally invasive surgery (MIS) because it uses smaller cuts. Doctors first used it for gallbladder surgery and gynecology operations. Then it came into play for the intestines, liver, and other organs. While a laparoscopy has a shorter recovery time than a laparotomy, it can take longer and require special training and tools. In some cases, such as an emergency, a laparotomy might be more appropriate.
Before your laparoscopy, you might have to take imaging or blood and urine tests. You’ll have an IV inserted into a vein so you can receive fluids, pain medications, and anesthesia during the procedure. Doctors will also put a breathing tube down your throat to make sure your airway stays open. You might have a urinary catheter inserted, and then your skin will be cleaned with a disinfectant solution.
To begin the procedure, your surgeon will make the necessary small cuts in your belly or pelvic area, and tubes will be placed for the camera and tools. A drain might also be placed.
In some operations, the surgeon can put the camera and the surgical tool through the same opening in the skin. It might mean less scarring, but it’s trickier for your surgeon because the instruments are so close together.
In other cases, your doctor may decide to use a device that lets them reach in with a hand. This is called “hand-assisted” laparoscopy. The cut in the skin must be more than half an inch in length, but it still can be smaller than the one made in traditional surgery. This method has made it possible to use laparoscopic surgery for the liver and other organs.
Next, carbon dioxide will be pumped in to separate your abdominal wall from your organs. This will make it easier for the surgeon to see your organs. Finally, your doctor can put a camera and tools through the tube or tubes, and they can complete the procedure guided by images on a video monitor.
Robotic laparoscopic surgery
Technology can help the medical team be more precise. In the robotic version of laparoscopic surgery, the surgeon first cuts into the skin and inserts the camera, as usual. Instead of taking hold of the surgical instruments, they set up a robot’s mechanical arms. Then they move to a computer nearby.
With robotic surgery, the monitor gives the surgeon a 3D, high-resolution, magnified image inside the body. As they watch the screen, they use hand controls to operate the robot and surgical instruments. This lets the surgeon be more exact, and it can mean less impact on your body and less bleeding. You may also have less discomfort after the operation. Robotic surgery is especially helpful for gynecology and urology surgeries. Most prostate removal operations use robots.
After your procedure, the gas will be removed from your belly. If a surgical drain was used, it might be removed, or it might stay in place to allow fluid to continue to drain. Your incisions will be closed. Your breathing tube and IV will come out, and you will be moved to a recovery room and observed until the anesthesia has worn off. Some laparoscopic procedures are outpatient, but others require you to stay for a night or two in the hospital. For outpatient surgery, you will need someone to drive you home from the hospital. You will likely take home a prescription for pain medication and recommendations for safe over-the-counter pain medication.
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