What Is Laparoscopic Surgery?
Laparoscopy is a type of surgery that uses smaller cuts than you might expect.
The process takes 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 and 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, your surgeon won’t have to reach into your body, either. That also means less cutting.
Have you heard people talk about “minimally invasive” surgery? Laparoscopic surgery is one kind. Doctors first used it for gallbladder surgery and gynecology operations. Then it came in play for the intestines, liver, and other organs.
Benefits
Working this way has several advantages compared with traditional surgery. Because it involves less cutting:
- You have smaller scars.
- You get out of the hospital quicker.
- You'll feel less pain while the scars heal, and they heal quicker.
- You get back to your normal activities sooner.
- You may have less internal scarring.
What kind of operations can be performed in Laparoscopic Surgery?
Most intestinal surgeries can be performed using the laparoscopic technique. These include surgery for Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, cancer, rectal prolapse and severe constipation. In the past there had been concern raised about the safety of laparoscopic surgery for cancer operations. Recently, several studies involving hundreds of patients have shown that laparoscopic surgery is safe for certain colorectal cancers.
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